Cambridge has come out on top in a major UK university ranking

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May 16, 2017 11:52 AM

The University of Cambridge has topped the Guardian University Guide for the seventh consecutive year.

Cambridge, Oxford and St Andrews were non-movers, and continue to rank highest in the UK, according to the guide.

The 2018 ranking which is compiled by Intelligent Matrix, takes into account a number of metrics, including spending per student, the student/staff ratio, graduate career prospects, grade requirements, and how satisfied final-year students are with their courses based on results from the annual National Student Survey (NSS).

It also calculates a "value-added score" out of 10 that compares students’ entry qualifications with their final degree results.

Cambridge came out on top with a 100 point average teaching score, a 9.9/10 score for expenditure per student, and an 11.0 student:staff ratio. It also delivered an 89% score for graduate career prospects, and 71% for overall NSS feedback. It's value added score, though, was only 5.6/10.

Its closest rival Oxford, maintained second position, with an average teaching score of 98.1 and a higher value added score than Cambridge at 6.7/10, while St. Andrews retained its position in third place.

The top 10 UK universities are as follows:

1. Cambridge (non-mover)

2. Oxford (non-mover)

3. St Andrews (non-mover)

4. Durham (up from sixth)

5. Bath (up from tenth)

6. Imperial College (up from seventh)

7.Loughborough (down from fourth)

8. Warwick (up from ninth)

9. Lancaster (down from eighth)

10. Surrey (down from fourth)

The biggest mover was Surrey which slipped from fourth to tenth place, while Bath climbed from 10th to fifth position.

Coventry continues its reign as the highest ranked former polytechnic on the list, and this year climbed two positions from 15th to 12th place. Meanwhile, Durham was the highest ranking university of the 24 research-intensive Russell Group institutions.

Despite its top spot, Cambridge came under fire earlier this month when it was revealed that in 2015, it accepted only 15 black male undergraduate students.

The shocking figure was disclosed in a post on the Facebook page of Cambridge University African Caribbean Society (Cambridge ACS) alongside a photo of 14 black male Cambridge students, inspired by a similar viral image of young black males at Yale University.

A University spokesman told Business Insider: "In 2015, 140 black students across the UK secured A*A*A, the grades which Cambridge entrants achieve on average. Over a quarter of that national pool was admitted to Cambridge, of which 15 were black males."

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