Cambridge pips Harvard as world No 1

British education has received a very high profile boost after a long time in its running rivalry with old foe the US.

The University of Cambridge has attained the numero uno spot in the 2010 QS World University Rankings,as Harvard University slipped to the second position for the first time in seven years.

Cambridge,the first non-US University ever to top the list,was voted the best for research quality in a survey of 15,000 academics,the Guardian reports.

Story continues below this ad

“Cambridge has gone top because it has improved its citations. Harvard has taken more students and had a hiring freeze amongst its academics. That”s the reason these two have swapped around,” John O”Leary,executive member of the QS academic advisory board,said.

Though the top spot went to a UK university,American institutions dominated the list,garnering 31 spots out of the top hundred universities.

But other British universities also made a strong showing,with University College London,Oxford and Imperial all appearing in the top 10,while King’s College London and Edinburgh appeared in the top 25.

The QS rankings are weighted 40% to academic reputation,10% to employability,20% to citations,20% to the staff-student ratio and give a further 10% weighting to how international the make-up of the faculty and student body is.