Imperial College beats Oxford and Cambridge in the QS university rankings for the first time

[Celerity]

Triumph over the old guard as ancient institutions slide down world university league table

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/imperial-beats-oxford-cambridge-in-rankings-for-the-first-time-s2dmqkdfd

https://archive.ph/5VErl

Imperial has risen from sixth to second place on the QS World University Rankings

Imperial College London has toppled Oxford and Cambridge as the highest-performing UK university in a global ranking for the first time. It rose from sixth to second place in the QS Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, while Oxford remained third and Cambridge fell from second place to fifth. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led the annual global table, the same as last year.

This year is the first time in ten years that neither Oxford nor Cambridge has taken the top spot among the UK universities; Imperial was previously joint second with Cambridge, ten years ago. Harvard was in fourth place and UCL was ninth, the same as last year — meaning the UK had four in the top ten — however, many other British universities slipped down the rankings.

This year, of the 90 British universities ranked by QS, 20 had improved their position since last year but 52 universities’ positions dropped while those of 18 remained stable. China had two universities in the top 20 — Peking up from 17th to 14th and Tsinghua rose from 25th to 20th place. Singapore and Australia each had two in the highest 20.

QS said Imperial’s improved position in the table was due to its research performance, employability scores and sustainability commitment. It said, however, that higher education in Britain was struggling in the face of funding shortages and ambiguity facing the status of international students.

Imperial College London’s president said the ranking was “a testament to the quality and commitment of our entire community”

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