Oxford is pushed back to third place in the university rankings for the first time after falling behind Cambridge and St Andrews
- Oxford and Cambridge split at the top of the rankings by St Andrews in Scotland
- The newly-ranked second place university is the third oldest institution in the UK
- Oxford also placed just 14th among UK universities for employment prospects
Oxford has dropped to third in the university rankings, with St Andrews taking its place in the top two.
It marks the first time that Oxford and the University of Cambridge haven't made up the top two in the Guardian University Guide.
While Cambridge retains the overall top spot, St Andrews beat Oxford after several years of being third in the league table.
The newly awarded second place university is the third oldest in the UK after the tradition top two and was founded in 1413.
Oxford University has dropped out of the top two in the league tables and been replaced by St Andrews
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Sally Mapstone, vice-chancellor and principal of St Andrews, told the Guardian: 'For a small Scottish university to be competing among the very best universities in the United Kingdom says much for the strengths of research-led teaching and student experience across the sector north of the border.
'This ranking bears contemplation simply because it describes a point in time on St Andrews's journey, a signpost of the advances we have made in the measures by which the Guardian judges the quality of an institution – and where we might go from here.'
According to the guide, St Andrews's rise was due part to high levels of contentment among its students with more than 93 per cent saying saying they were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of teaching.
It marks the first time that Oxford and Cambridge haven't made up the top two of the university rankings
In comparison, Oxford ranked just 24th nationally for career prospects and graduate outcomes.
It did however continue to score highly in maths, medicine and several other traditional strengths.
Matt Hiely-Rayner, who compiled the guide, said: 'While all three universities at the top have excellent student-staff ratios and the most demanding entry standards in the sector, St Andrews sets itself apart from the others with the most satisfied students.
'St Andrews tends to spend less on its students than Oxford and Cambridge.
'But the key reasons for its entry into the top two this year were its extremely high levels of student satisfaction, and an improvement in the proportion of its students who find graduate-level work or enter further study.'
