Tables: the methodology
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Your support makes all the difference.The main table was compiled by giving each of the 113 universities a score on nine measures. Two of the measures, student satisfaction and research assessment were accorded more importance than the other seven by being given a weighting of 1.5. All data is for 2006-7 unless otherwise stated.
Student satisfaction (maximum score 20) is based on the average score of the first four sections of the National Student Survey 2007. This measures satisfaction with the learning experience.
Research assessment (maximum score 7) is based on the Research Assessment Exercise of 2001. It is the average research assessment score per member of staff. All staff were counted, with non-submitted staff assumed to be working at a level two |below that of the institutional average.
Entry standards corresponds to the average Ucas tariff score for new first degree students aged under-21 on entry.
Student staff ratio is the |average number of students for each member of the academic staff.
Spending on academic services is the average amount spent on libraries, computers, galleries, museums over the three years to 2006-07 per full-time equivalent student.
Facilities spend is the amount spent (in pounds) on student and staff facilities over the three years to 2006-07 per full-time equivalent student.
Good honours refers to the percentage of first degree graduates gaining first or upper second class honours.
Graduate prospects relates to the percentage of UK-domiciled first degree graduates going on to graduate-level employment or further study in 2005-06.
Completion means the percentage of full-time first degree students starting in 2004-05 who are projected to complete their courses on time.
Data for the subject tables are the same as for the main table, except that only four measures are used: student satisfaction, research assessment, entry standards and graduate prospects. The calculation of the overall score is also the same except that there is no need for any subject mix adjustment and all four measures are given equal weight. If one of the nine criteria is missing for a subject, the overall score is calculated with that measure excluded.
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