The  CUG  bases its league table on the first 15 questions in the National Student Survey taken by final-year students at British universities. These cover statements such as "the course is intellectually stimulating", "staff have made the subject interesting" and "I have been able to contact staff when I needed to". Students rate their institution on a five-point scale.

The survey, used for four years, shows Heriot-Watt has fallen 33 points to 99th in overall ranking;  Stirling goes up from 59th to 18th position; Glasgow rose from 36th to 15th place; and Strathclyde improved from 90th to 63rd.

As the survey is not compulsory in Scotland, only those that choose to take part appear in the results.   Consequently in a 'no comment' attitude, Abertay University Dundee, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh and the West of Scotland University did not participate.

University  of Buckingham, the liberal arts college established under  Lady Thatcher's auspices in the 1980s, according to figures compiled by the Complete University Guide (CUG) and based on the National Student Survey came top of the ranking. This is the first time that Buckingham has appeared in the CUG. In previous years it was omitted for technical reasons.

Its vice-chancellor Terence Kealey says: "We come top of the National Student Survey because we charge full fees. Full fees not only allow us to fund teaching properly but they also ensure that we treat the students – not the Government – as our clients."

In second place is St Andrews, the Scottish university that educated Prince William and saw a corresponding huge rise in applications, especially among young American women. Third comes Loughborough, which has risen from sixth and is becoming increasingly popular.

Edinburgh University is taking its lowly position seriously. It has appointed a new vice principal for academic enhancement, whose key priority is the quality of its students' experiences. He is looking first at student assessment and feedback, which the student association says has been highlighted in recent surveys as an area of concern.

Graduates of Edinburgh complain about too much teaching by PhD students rather than academics and teaching staff not being available enough outside classroom time. A spokesman for the university said: "We are in no way complacent and remain committed to improvement."

The 15th University in making
Another non contender of course is Scotland's potential 15th university candidate, the  University of Highlands & Islands Millenium Institute  (consisting of 13 colleges and research institutions, as well as over 50 outreach learning centres).

This  year a batch of students became the first to graduate since the UHI Millennium Institute has been able to use its degree-awarding powers for North Highland College.

The degrees were conferred by UHI Principal Professor Bob Cormack (right)  at the college’s annual academic awards ceremony in Wick.

Bill Bruce, who chairs the college’s board of management, said this year was  a milestone. It is 50 years since Thurso Technical College opened its doors to provide courses for the major influx of workers in the early years of Dounreay nuclear plant.

The college is  gearing up for a major £14m redevelopment of its Thurso campus to provide new training and research facilities. It has completed the makeover of Burghfield House Hotel at Dornoch to create a new campus for tourism and hospitality students.

Bruce said: “It’s an exciting time for us and we await the day – hopefully not too far away – when we are awarded full university title.”

Perhaps with the auspicious 2011 Islands Year of Culture approaching, strenuous efforts could really carry UHI into the Millenium and and full University status by that date.