Oxford and Cambridge may top the official university academic league table but students heading to the London School of Economics are set to enjoy a ‘first class’ social life. That’s according to a new league table compiled by Yell.com, a leading UK local search engine.

Instead of student-staff ratios, graduate prospects and teaching standards, Yell.com’s Student Lifestyle League ranks Britain’s top 20 academic institutions according to the total number of ‘student lifestyle’ facilities, per student.

Yell.com searched its extensive database of businesses, shops and services to find the number of pubs, off licences, nightclubs, fancy dress hire, pizza delivery and takeaway outlets within each university town or city.*

Honours in the Yell.com Student Lifestyle League go to the London School of Economics which, within its locality, boasts a nightclub for every 93 students. Although London students benefit from all that the capital has to offer, snapping at its heels is the University of Bath. Bath leaps from 13th in the official academic league table, to 3rd in Yell.com’s league - thanks to its concentration of off licences.

Newcastle is the highest climber in the list, jumping from 19 in the official league to number four in the Yell.com’s Student Lifestyle League. Cambridge and Oxford may provide their undergraduates with a top notch academic education, but at 13th and 14th respectively, they don’t necessarily provide as good a schooling in the ‘university of life.’

The Student Lifestyle League reveals other findings indicating that, although some universities are known for a specific subject, others have entirely different strengths outside the lecture theatre:

• Fancy that: Glasgow is the place to be if you need an outfit for a Fresher’s Week fancy dress party
• Nottingham is best for a beer, getting top marks for the most pubs
• Students at King’s College, London will have the best all round night out with plenty of clubs as well takeaways to round off the evening
• London School of Economics is the best all round university as the only one to stay in the top five of both leagues

Yell.com’s new University League Table	Official Ranking - Times Universtiy Guide 2005
1. London School of Economics	4
2. King’s College London	18
3. University of Bath	13
4. University of Newcastle	19
5. University of Durham	11
6. University of Glasgow	20
7. University of York	9
8. University of Bristol	10
9. University of St Andrews	7
10. University of Loughborough	14
11. University College London	6
12. University of Manchester	17
13. University of Cambridge	2
14. University of Oxford	1
15. Imperial College London	3
16. University of Edinburgh	5
17. Royal Holloway	16
18. University of Warwick	8
19. SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) London	15
20. University of Nottingham	12

Eddie Cheng, president of Yell.com, said: “Starting university in a new town or city can be daunting for any student. Finding out what local businesses and services are in the area is a great way to prepare for the move and with around two million UK businesses listed on Yell.com, students can make sure that they find whatever they want, wherever they are going.”

*Yell.com selected the UK’s top 20 universities as listed in The Times Good University Guide 2005. The postcodes of each city where most students study or socialise were then searched for the number of pubs, night clubs, discos, off licences and wine merchants, pizza delivery and takeaway and fancy dress shops. The students-per-business ratio was then calculated by dividing the student population of the university by the total number of businesses found. The university with the lowest number of students to each business was then listed at highest in the league.