This is a biased ranking... Pitt above Penn state.. NEVER.

Ben, Pittsburgh, USA

Unsurprising, really, considering how little the UK Government seems to value its educational institutions, or at the very least takes them for granted. UK universities will not remain at the top of the table unless they're given the resources they need to do so.

Matt, Edinburgh, UK

Manchester most definitely deserves its place there.

corallie, london, england

Jack in Seattle, Bush attended Yale and Harvard when it was still possible to be admitted solely on the strength of family connections. That changed in the late 60's. I attended Yale years later, and it offered the richest, most vital intellectual environment I've ever encountered.

Lili, Chicago, USA

Having been to several UK universites, I can be sure that Manchester does not nearly offer the same quality of education as York or Bristol. Plus US universites are not nearly as focused as UK ones, with the Major and Minor system. I question what the journals were and the UK/US ratio of employers

Matt, UK,

Having attended colleges in both the U.S. and the U.K., the best -- at virtually every level -- university I spent time at was the University of Bristol (Now internationally rated #32). It's a shame that the Brits obsess over the same handful of top schools ...

Robert, Houston, USA

This ranking is not about teaching or the student experience as Farrukh suggests, 40% peer review 20% staff ratio. Both research driven . No marks for what students think. Hence the Redbricks still do well on this though they do embassingly on the National Student Survey.

Andy, Loughborough, UK

The ranking could not serious. University of Hong Kong ranks ahead of UCLA and UC Berkeley? They must interview a lot of employers in Hong Kong to get that ranking. The methodology is based too much on subjective interviews. The methodoly is more appropriate for world K-12 school ranking.

josh, Pittsburgh, USA

I think it is the teaching enviroment that matters the most. American universities have a more friendly enviroment towards foreigner while the same cannot be said for British institutions.

Keith, Chicago,

When the Labour government wants these universities to adopt social engineering by forcing them to accept students from a working class background even if they don't merit admission, what do you expect?

Shamer Williams, Cardiff,

It is not always about money. Harvard actually pays its postdoctoral research scientists less than most British instituitions. However it will continue to attract the best researchers because it is the finest and most prestigious research university. This cycle will maintain its top position.

David Lea-Smith, Edinburgh, U.K.

Recent rankings have done severe injustice to a number of universities in Britain, using citation scores used heavily in physical sciences.

LSE receives a LUDICROUSLY low position because it does not teach physical sciences, but it should be placed comfortably in the top 20. Shame on THEM!

Andrew, London, UK

What has happened to Queen's University,Belfast? Years ago it was considered quite superior to many of those listed in the first 200.

Dr David Swan, Melbourne, Australia

Of course the world standing of UK universities is in decline, this government's shortsighted funding cuts have ensured that the next generation of brilliant academics are all choosing to study abroad. Ludicrously low numbers of grants for Phd study are now available, its a national disgrace.

Sarah, London,

Let's put things in perspective.
George Bush received a BA from Yale and a MBA from Harvard.
Considering that, just how educational can a degree from those supposedly top-notch institutions be.

Jack, Seattle , USA

I agree with Jack, UK universities need to increase financial aid to international students. The high exchange rate of the pound makes studying in the UK way to expensive.

Cameron, Bridgetown, Barbados

It's all about money and, unfortunately, Americans' willingness to invest in HE while Britons still believe it should be free. One big reason why American uni's are ahead in funding is Alumni endowments. Brit uni's get nothing because there's no collective pride in them from athletic program's, etc

Matt Excell, London,

Go Reading!!!!

Andy, Limassol, Cyprus

UK would have to increase financial aid to foreign students if they want to attract more international students. Although they boast that they provide one of the best education in the world and that schools around the world are familiar with A-levels, no one in my place have ever heard of them befor

Jack, Jacksonville, Minnesota

Research capability does not equate to teaching ability. Those at the top have been banging on the last few years on how they will make Manchester a world leading institution through research, which they've done - at the expense of teaching, which is near abysmal. Remember this when applying to unis

Howard, Manchester,

The Govt have got the wrong approach. Uni shld be open to all with the intellectual capacity to benefit from it. Mandating a 'quota' of lower income students damages our universities. If bright students are from poorer backgrounds then fund them properly with no debt. Thats wht puts them off.

Alan, Bristol, UK

Many surprises here.Some British universities are ranked higher in international than national ranking.Much depends on ,what do you measure. If attracting overseas students is a criteria most British universities particulaly the best ones will always score low for variety of reasons.

mohidin, wakefield, uk

Perhaps Oxford & Cambridge should start charging the same tuition as the U.S institutions? At least in the UK parents don't have to begin saving for a University education when their child is born which frequently happens here in the U.S due to the immense costs associated with attending college.

zac, nyc,

It depends what you are studying, in what language and at what level e.g. the sagas; liverworts; waiata; A span bridges. The Times list and its Englisch ueber alles is as rational as ranking characters in books.

Mark Collet, Rotorua, New Zealand

I'm a graduate of KCL, and even I must say, surely LSE doesn't deserve such a low ranking, especially when compared to the universities ranked above, bar Oxbridge...

Carissa, Hong Kong, China

Farrukh may be right. But Farrukh should also look to the response posted. Way to go- dumb down the analysis of a complex issue.

naylor, Bloomington, USA

The universities should be for the cream of the educational minds,not dumed down so all can have a prize. We will continue to suffer on the international front until Labour are banished to the scrap heap and all their fat cats in local government with them.

Victor T Radford, Oldham, England

Having worked on a telephone campaign for a Cambridge College, it is obvious to see the decreased level of support old members (alumni) will provide in the UK.
Although 2/3 will give, more investment is needed from ex-students at ALL universities to ensure continued success for UK institutions.

Dan, Cambridge, UK

You can blame widely aailable cheap alcohol, more drunk teenagers, the general dumbing down of a once great nation.

Farrukh, Woking,