Historic double first for St Andrews

The University of St Andrews is again the leading university in the UK, according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, to be published this weekend (Sunday 17 September).

It’s the second time in the space of a week that St Andrews has topped a major UK ranking. Scotland’s first university was ranked top in the Guardian University Guide 2024, published last weekend (Saturday 9 September).

It is the first time that any UK university, other than those of Oxbridge, has led both major UK higher education league tables in the same year, and the fourth time in the last three years that St Andrews has disrupted what has been a longstanding Oxford and Cambridge duopoly.

Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, said: “To make history by coming top in both the Times and Guardian University Guides in the same season is a special way to start a new academic year in St Andrews.

“This achievement belongs completely to our fantastic staff and hard-working students. It reflects a deep institutional commitment to a critical balance of world-leading research and teaching, and the ways in which St Andrews students respond to that.

“While positive external validation is always welcome, no Vice-Chancellor ever sets out to top a league table, and what matters most to me are the individual and collective experiences of those who study and work at this great university. St Andrews never stands still; we are always looking for ways to improve what we do.

“I think everyone who works and studies here will be delighted to see that culture reflected in where St Andrews now sits as a sector leader.”

President of the University of St Andrews Students’ Association, Barry Will, said: “I think we’re number one because, as a community, we all, each and every day, try to take care of one another and make St Andrews the best place in the world. If we’re top of the league tables because of that, it’s an added bonus, the icing on the cake.

“This is a place where every single person matters, and can make a difference, even in challenging times and when we all need to advocate constantly for the transformative powers of well-supported university education.”