After much anticipation, the CUG (The Complete University Guide) and The Guardian, both among the UK's three major authoritative ranking publications, recently released their latest 2020 UK university rankings.
Along with The Times, these three authoritative ranking bodies each year evaluate UK universities based on certain aspects, including teaching quality, graduate employment rate, and student satisfaction, scoring them according to their own criteria. Students can also use the publicly available criteria from these publications to compare and assess the universities they are interested in.
Let's first take a look at the changes in the top ten rankings from the two publications this year! (The full Top 50 rankings are attached at the end of the article.)
Guardian/CUG Rankings Overview
Guardian Top 10 Rankings
.jpeg)
The Guardian rankings this year surprisingly placed Prince William's alma mater, the University of St Andrews, ahead of the University of Oxford (in second place), and it also topped the charts in various student satisfaction metrics (Cambridge and Oxford did not provide student satisfaction data).
Meanwhile, London School of Economics and University College London, both part of the UK's prestigious G5 group alongside Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial College London, failed to even make the top 15 (ranked 19th and 22nd respectively), which was astonishing.
CUG Top 10 Rankings
The CUG rankings, on the other hand, are more in line with public expectations, with little fluctuation in the top ten. Cambridge and Oxford continue to hold the top two spots, and the rest of the traditional G5 powerhouses also all made it into the top ten.
It is worth noting that in the CUG rankings, the University of St Andrews is also strong, climbing from fifth place last year to third this year, right behind Cambridge and Oxford.
.jpg?x-oss-process=style/opt-webp)
The significant differences in rankings among UK institutions arise because each publication uses different evaluation criteria and data sources, leading to considerable discrepancies.
To help students better understand these two rankings, let's take a look at how the two publications differ in their ranking criteria.
Interpreting the Ranking Criteria
Guardian
Satisfaction with course content
Satisfaction with teaching
Satisfaction with feedback (based on final-year students)
Student-staff ratio
Expenditure per student
Average entry tariff
Value-added score
Career after 6 months
Continuation rate
.jpg?x-oss-process=style/opt-webp)
CUG
Entry Standards
Student Satisfaction
Research Quality
Research Intensity
Graduate Prospects
Student-Staff Ratio
Academic Services Spend
Facilities Spend
Good Honours
Degree Completion
First, aside from the student-staff ratio and entry standards, which remain consistent, the two publications differ across all other metrics. Take student satisfaction alone: the Guardian incorporates three criteria to measure it in detail, while the CUG includes only one broad satisfaction criterion.
The CUG, on the other hand, has developed more granular criteria to measure universities' academic strength and investment, incorporating four indicators—research quality, research intensity, academic services spend, and facilities spend—to highlight academic prowess.
Furthermore, data such as "value-added score" indicate that the Guardian's metrics focus more on verifying institutional quality through student outcome feedback, whereas the CUG rankings lean more toward directly assessing the institutions' intrinsic strengths.
Popular Majors at UK Universities
After interpreting the ranking criteria, do you now have a more detailed understanding of UK universities?
Based on the rankings and current application trends, we have also put together recommendations for popular subject areas at UK universities.
Accounting
The UK is the birthplace of the modern accountancy profession. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), one of the world's most renowned international accounting bodies, was founded in the UK in 1904.
It can be said that in the field of accounting, the UK boasts profound historical depth and academic accumulation, making studying accounting at a British university an excellent choice.
Guardian - Accounting & Finance 2020 Rankings
CUG - Accounting & Finance 2020 Rankings
Education
Like accounting, the UK is also one of the world's most historically established education powerhouses, with over a century of modern educational philosophies that have influenced many other countries.
Moreover, British universities offer a highly refined range of education-related specializations and a considerable number of options, making it a very competitive choice for students aspiring to work in education.
Guardian - Education 2020 Rankings
CUG - Education 2020 Rankings
Computer Science
The UK government has long placed great emphasis on the computer industry. Today, a large number of high-tech and computer companies utilize R&D technologies from UK universities, achieving breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence and multimedia.
This is closely linked to the advanced computer science higher education provided by UK universities. Internationally, many investment groups also have collaborative relationships with UK universities in computer research and development.
Guardian - Computer Science 2020 Rankings
CUG - Computer Science 2020 Rankings
Strong academic strength, deep historical heritage, and the unique time-cost advantage of UK master's programs make studying in the UK an excellent choice for further education.
Guardian Full Top 50 UK University Rankings
.jpg?x-oss-process=style/opt-webp)
CUG Full Top 50 UK University Rankings
.png)
.png)
For 2020 UK postgraduate applications, CheersYou（清柚教育） has also opened a fast-track assessment channel. Students who want an early application evaluation can contact a CheersYou（清柚教育） advisor for one-on-one consultation~
