Oxford University named best in World - Reading breaks into top 200

University of Oxford has been named the best in the world for a seventh successive year. Reading University are also celebrating having moved into the top 200 on the list.

In fact universities across the South East featured prominently in the list of the World's best higher education providers, as published by The Times Higher Education Magazine.

Oxford topped the list, Reading ranked 198th, Universities of Surrey and Sussex were both ranked in the 200/250 bracket, Bournemouth University was 251/300 as were Brighton and Sussex Medical School and University of Bath, while the University of Kent was rated among the 351/400th best on the list. (Only the top 200 receive individual rankings.)

The list compares and contrasts 1799 universities from over 100 countries. The scoring matrix considers research, teaching, publications and citations and teacher-student ratio, among a total of 13 factors.

The success of Reading was attributed to a growing reputation for research. A move of three places saw Reading move into the top 200 universities globally, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023.

The University improved their score in nine of 13 measured variables.

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Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “The University of Reading has been improving in many of the measures used by the THE World University Rankings for the last few years, and it is great to once again be ranked among the top 200 universities in the world.

“We’ve seen notable rises this year in the measures of research and industry income, with a particular leap in our research reputation. This reflects the hard work of colleagues across the University who conduct and communicate our world-class research, and demonstrates that our research is seen as being among the very best, among academia and industry alike.”

Oxford’s ranking was welcomed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Louise Richardson, who has seen the University top the Times Higher Education rankings throughout her seven-year tenure.

Prof. Richardson said: "My colleagues and I are absolutely delighted that for the seventh consecutive year Oxford has been named the top university in the world.

"I am very grateful to those who work on compiling these rankings which prove so helpful to universities. Above all, I am indebted to the extraordinary women and men of Oxford whose research and teaching continues to excite our imaginations, broaden our horizons, cure disease and explore deeply difficult problems for the betterment of society.

"I am so proud to be associated with them," explained Professor Dame Louise Richardson.

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