Oxford University today tops the Guardian's university league table for the sixth year running, with arch-rival Cambridge holding onto second place.Oxford came top with a rating of 10 out of 10 for expenditure per student, while Cambridge and Edinburgh achieved more than nine out of 10. However, Queen Margaret and Edinburgh Napier universities overcome low spending per student to take places 63 and 55 in the tables. University College Plymouth St Mark and St John came last with just over two out of 10. Warwick comes third and St Andrews fourth – the pair have switched positions from last year. University College London, Lancaster, Imperial College, London School of Economics, Loughborough and York are in the top 10. London Metropolitan has come last.There's no doubt that Oxford's history - all 900 years of it - is very present. You'll probably live in at least one beautiful, centuries-old building, sit at the same desk as your favourite prime minister or Nobel prize-winner, or take part in one of the ridiculous traditions that have been ridiculous since the 17th century. But Oxford is also a modern university: at, or near, the top of national and global rankings, year after year, at the forefront of research and teaching, and with tip-top facilities
