We’re top of the league…but everyone hates us because we’re rich

Oxford has been restored at the top of the uni league tables after years of Cambridge dominance.

The Sunday Times University Guide puts the two unis in the joint top spot, but lambasts Oxford for favouring rich kids.

In yet another attack on the uni’s access record, the paper reveals Oxford has the lowest percentage intake of state school pupils in the country.

Britain’s oldest uni also admits the fewest pupils from working class backgrounds.

Just 57.4% of its students studied at from state schools, while only 9% of entrants come from working-class homes.

The report criticises Oxford for “struggling to broaden its intake and shake off allegations of social elitism” while remarking that “Cambridge is making more of an impression in this area”.

63% of Cambridge students are state educated while 11% come from working class homes.

The report concludes that Oxford has “failed to shed its Brideshead Revisited stereotype” despite the generous cash support schemes, comprehensive school visits and “tireless statements of intent from the University”.

A spokesperson for the University said: “Oxford devotes more time and resources to broadening its student intake than almost any other university in the country.

“Improving the mix of students at elite universities like Oxford means looking beyond the over simplistic state/independent divide to real indicators of disadvantage. Our latest figures show that more than one-third of applicants accepted to undergraduate courses at Oxford come from access category backgrounds.”

The Times say 15% of Oxford undergraduates receive some financial support.

How the Sunday Times views Oxford

But in all league table performance measures Oxford scored extremely highly, tying in a dead heat with Cambridge at the top – the first time the universities have drawn since 1993.

The rankings show the performance of universities across eight fields – student satisfaction, research quality, UCAS entry points, Graduate prospects, completion rate, student-staff ratio and spend on services.

While Oxford secured first or second place in most fields, it was marginally behind in terms of student satisfaction and graduate prospects.

The report concludes that “attempts to separate Oxford and Cambridge are pretty meaningless as both are so far ahead of all other multi-faculty institutions in Britain as to be in a league of their own.”