SCOTLAND's oldest university has been ranked the best in the country in the latest poll of UK institutions.

 

St Andrews University came first in Scotland and fifth in the UK after Cambridge, Oxford, the London School of Economics, Imperial College London and Durham in the latest edition of the Complete University Guide.

The 600-year-old Fife institution was the only seat of learning in Scotland to make it into the UK top 10 in the 2016 guide, with Edinburgh University coming 20th.

Both universities have the highest levels of intake from private schools in Scotland - about 40 per cent of St Andrews students and 30 per cent of Edinburgh students were educated in the independent sector, compared to around 12 per cent of students admitted to Glasgow university.

Glasgow University was ranked 30th in the table followed by Heriot-Watt in 37th place and Strathclyde in 38th.

Eleven universities fell by more than ten places in the ranking, including Glasgow Caledonian, which dropped 11 places from 72nd to 83rd. Dundee climbed seven places to 42nd.

An analysis of the data used to compile the rankings over the past five years shows Scotland with the best performance of any UK country for graduate employment and the highest entry standards in every year.

The growth in the number of graduates achieving first or upper second class honours also increased, with Scotland the highest of all UK countries. Student satisfaction also improved.

In separate listings covering 67 subjects, St Andrews is in 23 top ten rankings out of 25 subjects, with two first places for Middle Eastern and African Studies and Theology and Religious Studies.

Dr Bernard Kingston, principal author of The Complete University Guide, said: "The league tables, taken with the rankings for specific subjects, offer would-be students an accurate and independent guide to the UK university system.

"They should not be used in isolation, but alongside all the other advice and information in the guide. Its tables are recognised for their stability and consistency, and this year once again demonstrates this."

The league table rates ­universities on the basis of factors including graduate prospects, entry requirements, research and student satisfaction. It also takes into account the staff-to-student ratio, proportion of good honours degrees achieved and spending on facilities.