Odd rankings
The QS World University Rankings has Edinburgh at 21, Glasgow 54, St Andrews 93 and Aberdeen 162. It was part of the original Times Higher Education (THES) rankings but the Times decided to go it alone, accusing QS of having Shanghai’s science bias.
Yet its own top-ten inclusion of Cal Tech, MIT, Imperial, Chicago and Berkeley makes it look the most science-biased of the three. By the way, as George Kerevan notes (Perspective, 6 October), the THES has Edinburgh at 32, St Andrews 108, Glasgow 139 and Aberdeen at 176.
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Hide AdSuch tables are the academic equivalent of synchronised swimming – which most people do not consider a sport and would rather not have included in the Olympics. Yet, as regards our future ability to attract high quality South-east Asian students, it is disturbing to note just how little the Far East thinks of the cash-starved Scottish universities.
(Dr)John Cameron
Howard Place
St Andrews