By Dean Wilkins

The University of Manchester is bucking the UK trend by climbing a top institution world-ranking list while evading competition from Asia.

The Times Higher Education Supplement’s (THES) World Reputation Rankings were released today and revealed that The University of Manchester has risen to a higher ranking bracket (51-60) in the standings, which measures universities’ prestige among academics.

Cambridge and Oxford universities were named ‘super-brands’ as other UK institutions slipped down the table against competition from Asia.

Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group which represents the UK's top institutions of higher education, including The University of Manchester, said: "The UK's leading universities punch well above their weight, and their global reputation remains very strong.”

Harvard University in the US was the highest ranked, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in second place, and Stanford University in fourth, after Cambridge.

The UK has 10 universities in the THES list, following the US with 44. Last year Britain had 12 representatives in the top 100, but the University of Sheffield and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine both exited the top 100 this year.

Only the University of Manchester and the London School of Economics and Political Science bucked the UK trend and went up the ranking.

Other British institutions in the list, including Imperial College, University College London, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Bristol, have fallen down the rankings.

A stronger showing from East Asia universities has pushed down the UK’s rankings, as an emphasis on academic excellence at the expense of other factors means they fare better in 'prestige' surveys than in the regular THES Global Rankings, which uses a greater variety of indicators such as industry income and student diversity.

Dr Piatt added: “We are concerned that our global competitors in the US, East Asia and Europe are pumping billions into higher education - and money really matters. The UK already spends a lower proportion of GDP on higher education than our rivals and our universities are already doing more with less.

"If the UK is to remain a global leader in higher education, the Government must concentrate investment where it will have the most impact: in our world-class research-intensive universities.”

Phil Baty, rankings editor at Times Higher Education magazine, said: "Make no mistake, this data should be uncomfortable news for the UK - our global reputation as the home of outstanding universities has been hit.

"Big names have slipped down the league table, and we have lost two institutions from the world top 100 altogether - we are now down to 10 representatives. Meanwhile all the leading Asian universities, most notably in China, are on the up.

"The messages we are sending to the world about our commitment to funding our universities, fuelled by the images of students protesting in Westminster, on top of our clampdown on overseas students, are not playing well globally.

"There is a clear risk that our universities, other than the elite 'super-brands' of Oxford and Cambridge, will be relegated from the premier league of institutions in the eyes of the world, with tangible and sustained damage. Perception is reality and it seems that we are perceived as a fading power."

Below is the list of UK universities by 2012 and 2011 placement in the Times Higher Education Supplement's prestige rankings Top 100:

University of Cambridge

2012: 3

2011: 3

University of Oxford

2012: 6

2011: 6

Imperial College London

2012: 13

2011: 11

University College London

2012: 21

2011: 19

London School of Economics and Political Science

2012: 29

2011: 37

University of Edinburgh

2012: 49

2011: 45

University of Manchester

2012: 51-60

2011: 61-70

King's College London

2012: 61-70

2011: 61-70

University of Leeds

2012: 81-90

2011: 81-90

University of Bristol

2012: 91-100

2011: 81-90

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