The University of St Andrews has been ranked the top university in the United Kingdom, according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 published today (17 September 2021).
It is the first time in the near 30-year history of the definitive Guide, and UK university league tables in general, that a university other than Oxford or Cambridge has topped the rankings.
St Andrews took first place this year by virtue of its strong performances in student satisfaction, research, teaching quality, entry standards and graduate outcomes.
The University has been consistently amongst the top three in the Times and Sunday Times Guide in recent years. The methodology used by the Guide editors to rank the UK’s universities has not changed this year.
Guide Editor Alastair McCall, said: “St Andrews’ achievement in topping our institutional table should not be underestimated. Never before has any university other than Cambridge and Oxford finished top of our – or any other – domestic ranking of universities.
“It is no fluke. The university has been closing in on the Oxbridge duopoly for several years, buoyed by outstanding levels of student satisfaction which have peaked during the past year of pandemic disruption on campus. The lead St Andrews now has over other universities in this key area of university performance is remarkable.
