times higher education | Foreign Students

Concerns for US and UK in Latest World University Rankings?

Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 04/10/12

The latest world university rankings have been released by Times Higher Education, showing some unexpected trends. Whilst US and British universities still dominate the top 200, Asian universities are noticeably beginning to gain ground. The rankings measure 13 different attributes of an institution which encompass its teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

At the top the list, California Institute of Technology (above) takes the number 1 spot for the second year running, with the University of Oxford following close behind in joint second with Stanford University. The top ten is made up exclusively from US and UK universities, with Cambridge coming in seventh and Imperial College London in eighth. Indeed, of the top 200, over half are from one of the two countries; the US claiming 76 and UK 31.

Dundee University Tops Student Experience Survey

Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 26/04/12

Students at the University of Dundee officially have the best experience during their studies according to a freshly released survey. For the first time in five years, Loughborough University has been knocked off the top spot in the annual Times Higher Education (THE) Student Experience Survey, falling to second place.

The university ratings are based on the views of more than 14,000 undergraduate students in the UK. They were asked to rate their university in 21 different categories, including the quality of staff, structure of courses, social life and university facilities and student accommodation. These categories are then given different weightings depending on their importance to the overall student experience.

Dundee Fights Off Competition

Dundee rose to the top, from fifth position last year, after students praised the university's convenient facilities, cheap shops, excellent students' union and fair workload. The president of Dundee Students' Association, Iain Kennedy, explained:

The Most Respected University in the World is...

Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 10/03/11

A new list that ranks universities based purely on global reputation has placed Harvard at the top.

The American university beat off competition from MIT (also in the US), and the University of Cambridge in England, which came second and third respectively.

The list was compiled by the Times Higher Education magazine, and is based on the views of 13,000 academics from around the world. It is therefore unique in the fact that it ranks universities only on their reputation rather than how they have performed.

US Universities

Seven of the top 10 universities on the list are located in the United States, making the country the first choice for those seeking a high-level education. The good news is that many of these American universities now offer their programs online, so students do not have to relocate to the USA to enroll in the country's schools.

Depending on the student's career choice, he or she can take courses from a top university without having to leave home, giving the student the opportunity to earn a degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world.