Lancaster University has been placed 6th in the UK in the Times and Sunday Times 2019 ‘Good University Guide’, making it the highest ranked higher-education institution in the North. is follows the Times naming Lancaster as ‘2018 University of the Year’ last year.
The University has also ranked the highest in the region for graduate employment, and placed within the Top 3 nationally. It was recently revealed that 89% of Lancaster students have found professional work or further education after undergraduate graduation and have a 92.6% completion rate.
Alastair McCall, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide suggested that ‘employers are falling all over themselves’ to recruit graduates with a degree from Lancaster, and that ‘graduate prospects are the best for any non-specialist university in the UK.’
He also stated, ‘Students are taking notice of Lancaster’s success; with applications for courses starting in 2018 up 2% whilst other institutions saw a decline. As a result, the university, which placed 6th overall in e Times and e Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019, has increased the size of its undergraduate intake with a subsequent record number of offers. This coincides with a re-established chemistry department and an award-winning engineering building which has helped undergraduate numbers to double in recent years.’
Other universities in the North-West placing within the top 50 include the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University which placed 19th, 31st and 50th respectively.
SCAN spoke to the Students’ Union President Rhiannon Llystyn Jones, who said: ‘It’s obviously great to see Lancaster still in the Times top 10, but I also think it’s important to remember that the league tables reflect the previous academic year, not the current standing of the university’s performance. Often the metrics that league tables use also miss key areas of concerns for students. I think moving forward, for Lancaster to remain a top ten university or continue to climb, we need to ensure the views of the students and their current student experience is reflected in decision-making. Examples of times the university have been out of touch with student priorities and concerns have been with the spine, the big screen in Alex Square, the lack of adequate investment in teaching spaces, and lack of further investment in mental health services. We must not allow league tables to tempt the university to rest on its laurels. Frankly, if a top ten university can have the problems we do, I dread to think what issues the students of universities outside the top ten are facing.’
Lancaster University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark E. Smith was delighted by the news, and stated, “This is a fantastic end to a successful year for Lancaster, which would not have been possible without the commitment of our world-class staff and students.
‘Our top 10 presence in all major UK league tables demonstrates just how special our university is, and proves that it is possible to deliver excellent teaching and world-leading research while giving students the all-round, international experience they need to carve out meaningful careers.’
