Russell Group

Glasgow and Edinburgh receive over 14 per cent of their income from public funding grants, while Oxford and Cambridge receive just 7.4 per cent each, the joint lowest of any Russell Group university alongside LSE

Oxford scores 97.8 for arts and humanities in the QS 2026 rankings – Southampton scores just 69.6, a gap of 28.2 points between the highest and lowest Russell Group universities

Cambridge and Oxford spend the smallest share of their budget on staff of any Russell Group university – while King’s College London allocates the most at 59.9 per cent

Cambridge ranks first in the Complete University Guide but did not make StudentCrowd’s student satisfaction top 20, while Queen’s University Belfast ranked second

Oxford pays over five times more in interest and finance costs than Cambridge, despite both being old, wealthy universities

Cardiff spent £24.3m on restructuring linked to a voluntary severance scheme despite recording a £33.4m deficit, while 15 Russell Group universities recorded zero restructuring costs in the same year

Manchester topped 1,646 universities globally in the Times Higher Education sustainability rankings

Of course Cambridge is olives

Oxford receives over 100 times more in donations and endowment income than Cardiff – and endowments make up more than five per cent of Oxford’s total income, compared to just 0.2 per cent at Cardiff

Oxford and Cambridge score 100 for learning experience in the QS World Rankings 2027 – Queen Mary scores just 24, less than a quarter