Oxford University was last week declared the world's number one university for the third successive year in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Oxford, the only UK University ever to top the international rankings, sustains its position through the outstanding quality of its research, teaching and innovation, said a statement from the varsity.
The new league table for 2019 was unveiled at the World Academic Summit in Singapore last week, with Oxford first among the 1258 universities assessed worldwide, including 98 from the United Kingdom.
"You cannot lead the T.H.E World University Rankings without an outstanding performance right across our full range of performance indicators, covering teaching excellence, research power and impact, industry relations and international outlook," commented Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer, Times Higher Education.
According to Mr Baty, Oxford stands out across the board, but what sets it apart from the top-ranked schools below it, primarily from the US, is its exceptionally international focus.
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"Oxford thrives, not just due to strong levels of research funding, and a remarkably intimate teaching environment, but primarily due to the talent on its campus - and there's no doubt Oxford is a magnet for talent globally, attracting the brightest and the best students and faculty from all over the world," he added.
The Times Higher rankings are described as the only international league table which assesses universities for all their activities, considering teaching, research, citations, industry collaboration and international outlook.
Oxford was highly rated on all factors, reflecting its all-round strength at the forefront of the full range of academic disciplines, spanning medical sciences, science and engineering, humanities and social sciences.
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Oxford scored highly in the Times Higher rankings for the quality of its teaching. In May, the University announced a 50% expansion of its highly successful UNIQ summer school. Each year, this will give an extra 500 pupils from under-privileged backgrounds the chance of securing an Oxford undergraduate place, with its highly-specialised individual tuition provided through the college system.
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"We're deeply gratified by this result but also delighted to see how strongly British and other European universities have performed. As we in the UK face the great unknown that is Brexit we look forward to ever deeper cooperation with colleagues abroad," said Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said.
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"It has never been more important that we engage internationally in furtherance of the themes of this year's World Academic Summit in Singapore - advancing knowledge, driving the economy, and recognising the transformative power of academic research," Professor Richardson added.