King’s College London (KCL) has seen an increase in its position in the 2021 university rankings, most notably in The Guardian newspaper’s list, where KCL climbed 21 places from last year, from 63rd on the index in 2020 to 42nd in 2021.
Out of the 121 universities listed, this puts the college in the top 35% nationwide. However, some UK universities are not listed, as they may not be large enough nor offer a sufficient number of courses to be listed on the overall rankings.
Nonetheless, KCL’s position on this year’s rankings implies not only that the university is a leader in quality research, but would also suggest that the overall level of student satisfaction is soaring compared to previous years.
However, the data also suggests King’s climb in the rankings is also attributable to an increase in continuation rates after 6 months, from 83 and 84 in 2019 and 2020, to 90 in 2021. It appears somewhat of a bounceback from 2020, when KCL received a ranking from The Guardian of 53.1, compared to 63 in 2019 (when KCL ranked 58th) and 62.5 in 2021.
Each list of university rankings is compiled using a range of criteria, also including satisfaction with course, teaching, feedback, student to staff ratio, student spend/10, average entry tariff and value added score/10. In The Guardian’s rankings, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the quality of student experience. This can account for a wide range of factors, from satisfaction with a chosen course to the adequacy of pastoral support and social activities on campus.
The data is gathered using results from the annual National Student Survey (NSS), along with other forms of student feedback. This is markedly different from more conventional indices, such as the QS World University Rankings, which place more stock in criteria such as academic research and employability.
Incidentally, St Andrews surpassed Cambridge in this year’s Guardian rankings, rivalled only by Oxford. This effectively shatters the “Oxbridge ceiling†and forces both world-leading universities to confront what it is they will need to do strategically in order to maintain their high rankings in future years. This may be due to higher levels of student satisfaction at the university compared to Cambridge. The University of Cambridge remains a leader in academic research and reputation, which probably makes surpassing it next to impossible on other indices. Using the principles of The Guardian list, it may be getting easier for lower ranking universities, including KCL, to climb the ladder and top universities abundant in academic success, but lacking in quality student experience.
Unless these institutions are able to marry academic success with proper care for its student body, then Oxbridge may not be able to keep up the pace as the years go by. Moreover, King’s just might climb another 21 places (if not more) in the years to come.
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