This week saw the publication of the Guardian University Guide 2013, one of the many university ranking guides in the UK. In the Computer Sciences and IT category, there were some familiar names in the top 10 (especially comparing against the 2012 table…apart from Oxford, for whom there was no data):
| Ranking | 2012 | ||
| 1. | ↔ | University of Cambridge | (1st) |
| 2. | ↔ | University of St Andrews | (2nd) |
| 3. | ↑ | University of Southampton | (8th) |
| 4. | ↔ | Imperial College London | (4th) |
| 5. | ↑ | University of Bristol | (7th) |
| 6. | ↔ | University of York | (6th) |
| 7. | ↓ | University of Birmingham | (5th) |
| 8. | ↑ | University of Glasgow | (13th) |
| 9. | ↑ | University of Liverpool | (24th) |
| 10. | ↑ | University of Sheffield | (20th) |
Of particular interest to me were the rankings for Computer Science in Wales:
| Ranking | 2012 | ||
| 27. | ↑ | Swansea University | (34th) |
| 29. | ↑ | Cardiff University | (46th) |
| 33. | ↑ | Bangor University | (38th) |
| 64. | ↑ | Cardiff Metropolitan University | (74th) |
| 68. | ↓ | Aberystwyth University | (44th) |
| 89. | ↓ | University of Glamorgan | (78th) |
| 90. | ↓ | University Of Wales, Newport | (101st) |
| 101. | ↓ | Glyndŵr University | (49th) |
(N.B. no data was available for Swansea Metropolitan University and University of Wales Trinity Saint David)
Looking at the table headings and the methodology, research does not appear to be one of the ranking metrics; as you can see from The Complete University Guide 2013, this can change the ordering somewhat. While this is a reasonable performance in Computer Science by Welsh universities, we should be aiming for at least one top 20 placing in the next year or two.
Digital, Data & Policy 
The QS 2011/2012 worldwide rankings for Computer Science have also been released; only two UK universities in the top ten (Oxford and Cambridge), six in the top 50.
(N.B. There is some dispute as to the credibility of the QS rankings — check out the research)