
Fewest Tokens
They should also be ranked by the number of token wimmin they are forced to admit, so potential students cursed with a willy know where not to bother applying.
The Complete University Guide has released its annual ratings of the best UK universities for computer science studies. Cambridge, Imperial College London, Oxford, St Andrews and Bristol universities take the first five slots. The latter is the big mover among the elite, having shot up from eighth spot to fifth since the 2016 …
"...having shot up from eighth spot to fifth since the 2016 survey."
In the real world it is still 2015 yet not only is the 2016 survey out but there has been another one out after that from which this progress is being reported?
<fx> whistles softly and backs away very slowly, </fx>
Presumably the same logic as selling an iPhone for £750, which also seems to work.
In other words, you're suggesting that a spot at a university can be a Veblen good1, where demand increases with higher cost.2 That's likely true; in fact, it's almost inevitable, since demand is often taken as a sign of quality for scarce goods. (That's why artificial scarcity is a useful marketing tactic.)
But there may be contributing factors. I've studied at five programs in three US universities, graduate and undergraduate, and taught at a couple. My wife is the director of one of the most successful3 graduate program in her field. So I have some experience with what entices students to apply and, if offered a place, attend a program here in the States.
Rigorous admissions standards (particularly if those standards are based more on actual academic performance and demonstrations of competence and intellectual vigor, rather than standardized test scores4 or other simplistic metrics) may, with some probability, imply a student body which is more competent, dedicated, and focused; if the admissions process is decent, one that has greater diversity of experience and interest; a program that is not simply a degree mill; and a faculty which is more engaged with students (because the students are more interesting). Those all contribute to a better classroom experience and a brisker pace which means more material can be covered.
1Depending on the university's ability to get it perceived as such, which is largely a matter of reputation and somewhat less one of marketing.
2Here "cost" includes the effort required to be admitted, and not simply price.
3For example, likely the best at placing graduates in jobs of their chosen type; among the best at successfully recruiting students, both in terms of total applications and at recruiting top-choice students; short time-to-degree; high student academic productivity.
4As someone who routinely scored top marks in standardized tests, from grade school through the GRE, I'm fairly sure they primarily measure the subject's ability to do well on standardized tests. The main skills required for most of them are relaxation, focus, and the ability to learn and use test-taking tricks.