The Complete University Guide – A New Concept for League Table Practices in the United Kingdom

Abstract

University league tables in their present form have been around for two decades. One of their objectives has been to help would‐be university students (and their parents) make an informed choice of university and course. In the United Kingdom, historically, they have taken the form of a numerical hierarchy topped (predictably) by Oxford and Cambridge universities. This approach has been discussed, criticised and defended both in political and media fora. A project that started five years ago, supported by Mayfield University Consultants,is now online, proposing an alternative flexible ranking approach, The Complete University Guide, which enables prospective students, parents, and other stakeholders to customise a ranking according to their preferences and specific needs. Specifically, it allows users much more flexibility in the way they utilize the tables to decide on their university of choice.

Notes

2. The Times Higher Education Supplement (hereafter The Times Higher) is a weekly newspaper published separately from The Times. It circulates almost exclusively among academics and senior administrators in the United Kingdom, with a total sale approaching 30,000.

1. Mayfield University Consultants: Principal Partner Bernard Kingston. Creators of ⟨www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk⟩. Co‐authored The Times Good University Guide

3. The on‐line guide was launched as The Good University Guide on July 30 2007. In June 2008 the continued expansion of the service was marked by a change in name to The Complete University Guide (⟨www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk⟩).

4. ⟨http://www.cepes.ro/hed/meetings/berlin06/Berlin%20Principles.pdf⟩

5. New Agenda Project is available at ⟨http://www.ihep.org/Research/rankingsystemsresources.cfm⟩.