Posted on 10/09/2008 5:43:48 PM PDT by MyTwoCopperCoins
LONDON: It may sound untrue, but it's now a fact — Britain's standing as a world-class destination for higher education is under threat.
Leading British universities have lost ground to their richer foreign rivals in world rankings — both Cambridge and Oxford universities have slipped down the top 200 list to give way to popular US varsities like Harvard and Yale. In fact, according to the Times Higher Education — QS World University Rankings, Harvard is at the top followed by Yale, Cambridge and Oxford. Both these British varsities came joint second last year.
However, four UK universities are in the top ten, the same as last year. Imperial College London fell from fifth to sixth place while University College London rose from ninth to seventh. In all, 17 universities in Britain made it into the top 100 list, down from 19 last year. But, what's worrying is that more than a third of the top 100 are based in the US, the Times reported.
Ann Mroz, the editor of Times Higher Education, said: "UK universities are very clearly among the world's best and have maintained good positions in the rankings this year. But the fact that Cambridge and Oxford have slipped down the top ten and that US universities have cemented their dominance among the world's elite, at the UK's expense, raises key questions about the future funding of the sector. As a percentage of gross domestic product, the US spends more than twice as much on its universities as the UK."
But, the rise of Asian institutions is also reflected in the inclusion of nine of them within the top 50, including three based in Hong Kong.
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