4 of the top 10 universities are British


Four of the world's top universities are British, a new report has revealed.

The latest survey conducted by the Times Higher Education Supplement reported that Oxbridge outstripped Yale but failed to secure the number one position occupied by Harvard.

Also in the top ten were Imperial College London and University College London.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, the managing director of careers and education group QS which compiled the research told the newspaper: "In an environment of increasing student mobility, the UK is putting itself forward as a top choice for students worldwide."

Recently, Oxbridge has been accused of not encouraging greater numbers of state school pupils to apply for places.

A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research showed that over 40 per cent of Oxford students come from independent schools, despite such schools accounting for only seven per cent of British schoolchildren.

However, the warden of Oxford's New College Professor Alan Ryan told the BBC this was not due to bias on the universities' part.

Richer parents are able to buy educational advantages for their children, such as a choice education, he argued.