Northumbria climbs into top 30 of UK university league table

Northumbria University is now ranked in the top 30 universities in the UK after a significant 20 place rise in The Guardian University Guide 2021.

The Guardian’s University Guide was published this weekend and focuses on the issues which matter most to young people considering studying at university. It analyses how well they will be taught, how highly courses are rated by current students and which university provides the best chance of getting a good job.

Northumbria has climbed to 27th place overall and has the best score in the UK in the value-added measure, which looks at how a student's academic performance improves at university.

The University also saw improvements to its scores around how satisfied students are with the feedback they receive from academic staff and in graduate prospects.

Northumbria also features highly in a number of The Guardian’s subject tables, appearing in the top 10 for Health Professions, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Building, Town and Country Planning and in the top 20 for Nursing and Midwifery, Architecture, Design, Journalism and Law.

Professor Andrew Wathey, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University said: “In 2013 we set out our vision to rank in the top 30 in the UK. Since then we have invested in transforming Northumbria.

“Our focus on academic excellence, research quality, and graduate employability is producing demonstrable progress and clear impact on our relative standing.

“This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our staff in their work to improve the student experience, and in the achievements of our students and alumni who are excelling in both their studies and their graduate careers.”

Northumbria’s notable improvement in The Guardian’s league table follows recent successes in international league tables. It is now the top-rated UK university in Times Higher Education’s Young Universities Rankings 2020 which lists the best universities founded during the past half-century, and has maintained its position in the same publication’s World University Rankings 2021 which were released last week.

Northumbria was also one of a handful of UK institutions to climb the QS World University Rankings, when most UK universities saw a drop in their position.

The University is in the top 15 in the UK for the number of graduates in highly skilled employment according to the latest Graduate Outcomes survey. It is renowned for the support it provides to students and graduates wanting to start their own businesses. Northumbria is ranked second in the UK for enterprise, based on the turnover of businesses start-ups. Over the last decade the University has supported the creation of around 300 businesses which now employ more than 1,000 people and turnover £84 million per year.

Anyone interested in studying at Northumbria can register to find out more at www.northumbria.ac.uk/openday