The University of Virginia achieved its target, a commendable feat, but it ranks only 130th in the world according to the 2014 Times Higher Education rankings, which are considered highly rigorous. This ranking is striking because it highlights that 18 less financially endowed British universities outrank it. Such a situation raises questions about the relationship between funding and academic prestige.

In fact, Virginia's position is comparable to that of Lancaster University, a British institution with a vastly smaller endowment—just one-thousandth of what Virginia possesses. This disparity underlines the complexities of assessing university performance purely based on funding, as illustrated in Bill Bryson’s "The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island." Bryson's insights shed light on the broader educational landscape and the diverse factors influencing university rankings.