League table climb continues for Aberystwyth University

29 May 2018

Aberystwyth University’s progress in university league tables continues with the publication of the 2019 edition of The Guardian University Guide.

Aberystwyth University is this year’s highest climber, up 36 places into the top 50 in the UK, and second position in Wales.

Placed 45th out of 121 higher education institutions across the UK, Aberystwyth equals its best performance in The Guardian’s university league table since 2009.

The latest league table also puts Aberystwyth in the following rankings:

  • 2nd in the UK for student satisfaction
  • 3rd in the UK for satisfaction with feedback
  • 6th in the UK for satisfaction with teaching

At individual subject level, there are top ten positions for Agriculture and Forestry (9th), Art and Design (6th) and Modern Languages (8th).

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor at Aberystwyth University said: “The Guardian University Guide focuses on the factors that are most important to students when it comes to choosing the best course for them and where to study.

“That Aberystwyth scores highly in these areas is a reflection of the emphasis we place here on teaching excellence. Academic rigour, timely relevant feedback, research-led teaching and lecturers who know their students are all hallmarks of our degree courses. The overall student experience is further enriched by our unique, seaside location, our students’ union clubs and societies, and our welcoming, supportive community.”

The latest results build on Aberystwyth’s continued league table success over the past 12 months.

In August 2017 Aberystwyth was rated best in Wales and one of the best higher education institutions in the UK in the National Student Survey (NSS) with overall student satisfaction at 91%.

In September 2017, Aberystwyth University was named University of the Year for Teaching Quality by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. The guide also saw Aberystwyth’s progress continue, climbing nine places into the top 50 universities in the UK.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide editor Alastair McCall said at the time that Aberystwyth had “secured some of the most remarkable scores in the UK from students for the quality of teaching it offers”.

The Guardian university league table is based on nine measures: Satisfied with course, Satisfied with teaching, Satisfied with feedback, Student to staff ratio, Spend per student, Average entry tariff, Value added score and Career after 6 months.

New to the table this year is the addition of the student continuation metric, which provides the percentage of students who progress from the first year into the second and which gives an indication of how well universities are supporting their students.

Further information about The Guardian university guide for 2019 is available online.