Are Durham and St Andrews prestigious or massively overrated?

It is still a milestone which has never been done before, as UCL pulls further clear of Imperial. The day when UCL overtakes Cambridge to become the UK's richest university will be the true landmark. As UCL are obssessed on expanding to raise income, that day can't be too far away.

I can't help thinking you are just chasing reps here rather than being constructive in the debate.

UCL had to undergo a merger and take on thousands of extra students and place huge strain on their facilities to increase their income by 100 million. Overtaking Cambridge is going to be easier said that done.

You also have to take into account the quality and scope of researching being undertaken by the various universities. It's much more complicated that just looking at net income.

Ah, you're the one proposing "Noxbridge". Did you google 'UK university rankings', look at The Complete University Guide one, then the Guardian one, and then have a panic attack or something?


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The UK rankings are a bit of a running joke aren't they? Surrey in top 8 lol? Lancaster in top 10 lol? Coventry in top 20 lol?

Try the World rankings and REF 2014 for a more reasonable measure on the quality of a university.

Ah, The Student Room, the only place where 17-year-old A level students who've never set foot in a university can assess their teaching and research power.

Noxbridge? "lol"


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For tutorial style teaching, yes, Noxbridge. Until another university copies them.

Oh no, yeah, absolutely, pardon me.


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They're rated correctly. As the places to go if you cannot get into Oxbridge.

What about Leeds and York?

Are Durham and St Andrews prestigious or massively overrated?

UCL already beat Oxbridge for research power in REF 2014.

The REF 2014 'excellence ranking' shows that both Oxford and Cambridge out perform UCL. Oxford and Cambridge were ranked 4th and 5th respectively and UCL 8th.

The thing to take away from all this though is that UCL is an excellent university, just like Ox and Cam. Maybe instead of constantly pitting them against each other we should allow room for more than just two universities within the top tier, like they do in the US.

I feel like some of you forget that when you apply to a job (the reason why you go to university is to eventually apply to a job) there are many other factors at play other than what university you went to. Subject choice, degree classification, references, experience, A-levels, personality, work ethic, professionalism, interview skills....so you can't really put a blanket over all the graduates from one university and say under all circumstances they will not be favoured for a job compared to a different university.

The university that you went to is probably not the deciding factor in getting a job.

Personally I do think UCL is a genuine rival to Oxbridge already, and should not be dubbed as an Oxbridge rejects university anymore. Likewise for Imperial, and perhaps LSE.

I don't really see UCL as a rival, but rather a university on its way to becoming an equal. In my mind Imperial is already there.

Imperial is much smaller though, and is not multli-faculty.