St Andrews has 9,000 staff and students

The university pipped its rival Edinburgh in The Sunday Times University Guide league table for 2006.

The ancient Fife establishment, where Prince William studied between 2001 and 2005, was ranked 10th overall in the UK, four places ahead of Edinburgh.

Glasgow University was third in Scotland and 30th in the UK. Aberdeen and Dundee universities followed, in 35th and 39th place respectively.

St Andrews, which has 9,000 staff and students, fared well due to its popularity and academic achievements, according to the guide compiler.

St Andrews is smaller than other universities, which means it is easier to excel across the board Ian Coxon Editor of The Sunday Times University Guide

Just nine universities in the UK had more than St Andrews's eight applications per place, it said.

For the third consecutive year, the university filled all its places on initial offers alone and three-quarters of its students gain either a first or upper second class degree.

The guide's editor Ian Coxon said its popularity was much more than just the "Prince William effect".

He said: "St Andrews is smaller than other universities, which means it is easier to excel across the board.

"But coming top in student satisfaction had a lot to do with its ranking, it's got a very low drop-out rate."

Prince William, pictured after his graduation, studied geography

The university's vice principal Stephen Magee said it was a good result for St Andrews and for Scotland.

"With the highly competitive nature of higher education domestically and internationally, it is extremely gratifying to see Scottish universities maintaining a high profile," he said.

Edinburgh was commended for its subject range and facilities.

Glasgow University, with six applications per place, was praised for its "world class" English, psychology, sport and European studies.

The guide was compiled using data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.