Cambridge University is number one

The Pepys Library at Magdalene College Cambridge Credit: sxc.hu

Cambridge has taken the number one spot in a university league table. The London School of Economics and Political Science came second, and Oxford took third place.

It is the second year running that Cambridge has topped the annual Complete University Guide, which ranks 116 universities on student satisfaction, research, entry standards, student to staff ratio, spend on academic services, spend on facilities, graduate prospects, good honours degrees and completion rates.

Cambridge took first place for entry standards, and completion rates, as well as joint first for research, along with Oxford and LSE. It also scored highly on many of the other categories.

Overall, the top 10 universities this year were Cambridge, LSE, Oxford, Imperial College London, Durham, Warwick, St Andrews, University College London, Lancaster and Bath.

At the other end of the scale, Bolton University and the University of East London were bottom.

Dr Bernard Kingston, principal author of the guide, said it is helpful to students choosing a university for several reasons.

The rankings of 116 universities are listed below. Their positions in last year's guide are included in brackets.

  • (1) Cambridge

  • (4) The London School of Economics and Political Science

  • (2) Oxford

  • (3) Imperial College London

  • (5) Durham

  • (8) Warwick (6) St Andrews

  • (7) University College London

  • (9) Lancaster

  • (10) Bath

  • (11) Bristol

  • (12) York

  • (15) Exeter

  • (20) Loughborough

  • (14) Southampton

  • (13) Edinburgh

  • (21) Glasgow

  • (16) King's College London

  • (17) Nottingham

  • (23) Leicester

  • (19) Sussex

  • (28) Surrey

  • (24) Newcastle (22) Birmingham

  • (31) Queen's University Belfast

  • (33) Royal Holloway

  • (27) East Anglia

  • (26) Sheffield

  • (29) Manchester

  • (18) School of Oriental and African Studies

  • (30) Liverpool

  • (34) Reading

  • (35) Kent

  • (32) Leeds (25) Aston

  • (37) Cardiff

  • (40) Strathclyde

  • (41) City

  • (39) Essex

  • (38) Heriot Watt

  • (50) Brunel

  • (36) Queen Mary

  • (43) Dundee

  • (47) Aberdeen

  • (46) Oxford Brookes

  • (44) Keele

  • (48) Hertfordshire

  • (59) University of the Arts, London

  • (54) Swansea

  • (45) Stirling (57) Goldsmiths

  • (51) Robert Gordon

  • (66) Lincoln

  • (60) Northumbria

  • (42) Buckingham

  • (64) Hull

  • (58) Huddersfield

  • (49) Aberystwyth (61) University of the West of England

  • (52) Ulster

  • (63) Bournemouth

  • (55) Nottingham Trent

  • (67) Birmingham City (53) Plymouth

  • (72) Coventry

  • (78) Bangor

  • (56) Chichester

  • (80) Chester

  • (65) Central Lancashire

  • (68) Brighton

  • (73) Bradford

  • (62) Sheffield Hallam

  • (77) Westminster

  • (75) Gloucestershire

  • (85) Bath Spa

  • (70) Winchester

  • (82) Portsmouth

  • (97) Salford

  • (69) Cardiff Metropolitan

  • (81) De Montfort

  • (76) Glasgow Caledonian

  • (103) Bedfordshire

  • (71) Middlesex

  • (87) Queen Margaret

  • (88) Kingston

  • (100) Canterbury Christ Church

  • (93) Manchester Metropolitan (74) Roehampton

  • (91) Sunderland

  • (101) Liverpool John Moores

  • (84) Edinburgh Napier

  • (83) Glamorgan

  • (107) Buckinghamshire New University

  • (96) Leeds Metropolitan (79) University for the Creative Arts

  • (90) Teesside

  • (98) Edge Hill

  • (108) Derby (86) Cumbria

  • (105) Glyndwr

  • (104) Northampton

  • (110) Greenwich

  • (102) York St John104. (92) Trinity Saint David

  • (89) University of Wales, Newport

  • (109) Anglia Ruskin

  • (106) Worcester

  • (99) Staffordshire

  • (94) West London (113) London South Bank

  • (95) Abertay, Dundee112. (111) Southampton Solent

  • (112) University of the West of Scotland

  • (116) London Metropolitan

  • (114) East London

  • (115) Bolton