Cambridge closes gap on Oxford in varsity league

The Times Good University Guide 2008 : The top institutions, plus subject rankings, university profiles, student guides and survival tips

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The gap between Oxford and Cambridge at the top of The Times Good University Guide is the narrowest since the league tables were first published 14 years ago.

Oxford remains at the top of the table for the sixth consecutive year. But the margin between the two academic powerhouses has closed to only five points out of a total possible score of 1,000, the closest it has been since 1993, when they tied.

Only St Andrews breaks into the “golden triangle” of Oxford, Cambridge and London this year, moving up 13 places to get into the Top Five. It overtakes Edinburgh, which ranks 13th, to become the top university in Scotland. Other institutions showing substantial rises this year include King’s College London, at No 10, Exeter, at No 17 and City University, which is up 17 places to joint 40th. Only half the Russell Group of 20 research-intensive universities feature in the Top 20, with Leeds at 30, Queen’s University Belfast at 33 and Liverpool at 34....