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Sixty per cent of UK universities featured in a number one world rating have seen their place slip this yr, because the sector struggles to maintain up with growing competitors from Asia and mounting monetary pressures.
The rankings of 54 out of the 90 British universities within the annual QS World College Rating fell, together with nearly half of the elite Russell Group of research-intensive establishments.
Excessive-ranking universities that registered steep declines included Edinburgh, which dropped seven locations to thirty fourth, and the London College of Economics and Political Science, which fell from fiftieth to 56th.
Imperial School London held on to second place in a subject of greater than 1,500 universities, whereas each Oxford and Cambridge slipped one place to fourth and sixth, respectively.
Jessica Turner, QS chief government, stated the UK couldn’t afford to “relaxation on its laurels” and wanted to extend funding to compete with “formidable” abroad rivals.
“It’s probably not that the establishments within the UK are getting worse, it’s that they can not stand nonetheless given how aggressive this house is,” she added.
There have been some brilliant spots for the UK, with each Sheffield and Nottingham returning to the highest 100 following double-digit rises within the rating. King’s School London was additionally among the many 24 universities to climb the record, rising from fortieth to thirty first place.
The rankings mirror a wider pattern as Canada and Australia — two of the opposite key research locations — battle to compete in the next schooling arms race with well-funded universities in China, India and south-east Asia.
The publication of the rankings on Thursday marks the second consecutive yr the place the vast majority of UK universities have seen their efficiency fall.
China has established its place over the previous decade, with solely the UK and US boasting a bigger variety of universities within the rating. India is shut behind with eight new entries this yr.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan additionally carried out strongly, with the vast majority of universities from these nations climbing within the rankings.
Turner stated the features mirrored the area’s strategic strategy to larger schooling, with universities capitalising on elevated authorities funding to put money into analysis and appeal to extra worldwide and home college students.
US-based Massachusetts Institute of Expertise topped the rankings for the 14th yr in a row and Stanford moved up three locations to 3rd place. Harvard dropped one place to fifth.
The rankings, which assess establishments throughout greater than 100 larger schooling techniques on a variety of indicators together with employer surveys and analysis citations, comes as a sustained funding squeeze forces British universities to chop programs and workers.
Vivienne Stern, chief government of Universities UK, stated the sector was already working “extensively” to handle monetary pressures. She added {that a} “long-term and lasting funding settlement” from the federal government would reverse the “slight downturn” in efficiency.
“Different governments all over the world are making the choice to put money into their universities at a time when our authorities is being gradual to take action. This decline isn’t inevitable,” she added.
