Nottingham University - what is going on with the League tables?

[BobtheFrog]

Like a few others in this forum, my young adult has just finished their Year 13 mocks and didn't get the grades they had hoped for. Firm and Insurance choices remain unchanged but we have been considering some more modest alternatives

• digging around was surprised with Nottingham data, it had the biggest drop in applications in 2024 of any uni (-3600) is sitting around 60 with the Guardian and even #30ish with CUG and Times. Not long ago I would have expected mid 20s

Anyone know what's going on?

Doesn't it depend on what you want to do? Law and finance might be relevant. Medicine and other healthcare related degrees not really.

They don't tell you anything about the undergrad student experience.

Not law either, too many differences across countries.

The QS rankings have so many flaws and biases (though admittedly they are trying to address some of these) that they're pretty much useless unless you are dead set on an international career in a STEM field.

I look at the subject rankings instead of just the overall one.

My point still stands. Too flawed to be of much use.

Tell me more if you have time.

What do you define as the undergraduate student experience?

Are you being delberately obtuse?

I actually like the QS rankings. For my son’s subject (DD’s as well actually) they reiterated some of what we already knew.

I mean what would you say that encompasses that can only be defined by the university itself?

Can't you make your own university experience?

I meant that a lot of unis that do especially well in the QS rankings are very research intense. This can actually negatively impact teaching for undergrads.