The University of Leeds has been named runner-up for the University of the Year award in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016.
It is the second consecutive year the University has taken the runner-up award in the guide, which also rates the University as one of the top institutions in the UK in its statistical rankings.
Sir Alan Langlands, University of Leeds’ Vice-Chancellor, said: “This is a welcome acknowledgement of the excellence of the staff and students at Leeds. Our continued success in the rankings has been driven by high levels of student satisfaction and world-class research.
“League tables can only provide a glimpse of the bustling life at a university, but this result rightly recognises Leeds as one of the UK’s top higher education institutions and among the world’s most respected universities.”
The guide reports that the University has excellent scores for teaching (83.7%), student experience (88%) and graduate prospects (78.4%).
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide’s announcement said: “[Leeds] has powered ahead thanks to high levels of student satisfaction, as well as strong outcomes in the latest research ratings, published last December.
“Leeds does better than any other redbrick university — the big civic universities in Britain’s main industrial cities in the National Student Survey, this year ranking 11th overall under The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide analysis. Both the student experience and teaching quality scores were high, prompting a 16-place rise in the rankings for this measure.”
Toke Dahler, Union Affairs Officer at Leeds University Union, said: “The improved ranking of the University in the guide is fantastic and we’re excited about the commitment to continuous improvement the University has demonstrated.
“The results demonstrate the value in the Union’s partnership with the University, which ensures that students feel represented and understand they are partners in their education – a model that has proven to be successful. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the University in the future to ensure the student experience at Leeds is among the best in the country.”
Leeds reached its highest ever position in the guide’s statistical rankings, climbing to 14th overall from 17th last year.
Leeds recently ranked 87th in the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, a league table of the world’s best universities. More than 80% of the research assessed in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) was considered world-leading or internationally excellent.
Further details of the league tables will be published in The Sunday Times on Sunday 20 September and in the Times on Monday and Tuesday, September 21 and 22.
For further information
Contact University of Leeds press office on 0113 343 4031 or email pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk