In a tight race to the top, the Scottish university managed to overtake its closest competitors, Oxford and Cambridge (Oxbridge for short), mostly due to its high scores for student satisfaction, The Times said.
St. Andrews has consistently placed in the top seven for the past few years, and finally managed to take the lead due to its stellar response to the pandemic, according to the newspaper. In the two measurements derived from the National Student Survey (NSS) — teaching quality and student experience — the Scottish university managed to secure a huge lead over both Oxford and Cambridge.
25 February 2021, 06:07 GMT
It has also shown great results in a variety of other GUG measurements, ranking top ten by degree completion rates, the proportion of high-class degrees awarded, staffing levels, and the average expenditure on services and facilities per student, The Times said.
This upset marked the first time that any other university than Oxford ot Cambridge took the top spot in any UK university ranking, The Times noted. Cambridge dominated the previous eight editions of The Times' Good University Guide as well, before falling to third place in the 2021 ratings.
"I hope the fact that the staff and students of a small Scottish institution have been able to break through the hitherto impenetrable Oxbridge ceiling will inspire others, and show that the status quo is only that if you allow it to be", Sally Mapstone, the principal of St. Andrews, was quoted as saying by The Times.
St. Andrews was founded in 1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland.