THE World Rankings 2016

22 September 2016

Commenting on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-17, Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group, said:

“The UK’s leading universities continue to punch well above their weight with 12 Russell Group universities ranked in the top 100 in the world - of which three are in the top 10.                

“However, our nearest competitors continue to snap at our heels. More Chinese universities appear in the top 200 than ever before, while our competitors in Germany and Japan continue to benefit from significant investment.  

“The uncertainty created by Brexit makes increased investment in science, research and innovation in the UK even more important for our leading universities to stay ahead of the chasing pack and to boost the country’s economy.

“If we want to continue our success and stave off growing competition, the UK must show that its doors are open to the very best and brightest academics and students from anywhere in the world.

“All league tables have their limitations and shouldn’t be used in isolation to make decisions about the quality of a university or degree course. No one ranking can capture all the strengths of a particular institution.”

Notes to Editors

1.            According to the OECD report Education at a Glance 2016, the UK’s total investment in higher education was 1.8% of GDP: significantly less than the USA, at 2.6%. UK public investment in higher education is 1.1% of GDP, below the OECD and EU 22 averages. Read more in the full report. 

2.            The UK’s spending on research and development as a proportion of GDP was 1.67% in 2014, unchanged from 2013. This is well below the EU average of 2.03%, the spending of 2.08% by China (up from 1.98% in 2012) and US investment of 2.74% (up from 2.70% in 2012). Link to Office for National Statistics and OECD sources