Oxford is Britain's best university, retaining an edge over old rival Cambridge, according to The Guardian newspaper in its annual guide published on Tuesday.
The daily’s university league table assessed teaching quality, staff-student ratios and graduate job prospects and also took into account the average entry qualifications and spending per student.
The research placed Oxford ahead of Cambridge for the second year running, with London-based institutions taking the next five places. However, the guide found that many of the less prestigious institutions offered high-quality courses as well.
Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest universities in the English-speaking world, believed to date back to the 11th century and 1209 respectively.
Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans last month to attract 100,000 more overseas students to study in Britain over the next five years and encourage greater links with other universities across the world.
Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans last month to attract 100,000 more overseas students to study in Britain over the next five years and encourage greater links with other universities across the world.
About 300,000 overseas students currently study in Britain and swell university coffers by about four billion pounds ($ 7.3 billion) each year. Foreign students from outside the European Union are an increasingly lucrative source of income for British universities as they pay higher annual fees than their EU counterparts.