University falls 21 places in league table
HUDDERSFIELD University has plummeted 21 places in a league table.
The former polytechnic has dropped from 43rd best in the UK to 64th in The Guardian’s 2021 university guide. The national newspaper is one of several to run their own ranking of the country’s higher education institutions.
But it says, unlike other league tables, its 2021 guide is designed with students in mind.
The rankings are less focused on academic research and more on what matters to young people, such as life chances and the quality of teaching.
Universities are ranked through eight categories, including how many students had a job 15 months after graduating.
While Huddersfield University’s rating has slumped from last year it is still in a very respectable position, ranking 64th out of 121 institutions.
Its position sees it above many popular northern universities, including Leeds Beckett (118th), Bradford (99th), Manchester Met (70th) and Liverpool John Moores (70th). Fellow Yorkshire university Sheffield is one of the biggest improvers, surging up from 45th last year to 31st.
Leeds University has dropped from 11th to 18th, while York is up four places from 20th to 16th.
The top five has seen change with Oxford toppling Cambridge, which has dropped to third, and St Andrews retaining second place.
Durham has gone up one from fifth to fourth while the London
School of Economics has shot up the table from 19th to fifth.
The University of Huddersfield was approached for comment but did not respond.
Students are expected to return to campus for the first time since March when the new academic year begins on September 28. The university has said it will aim to deliver as much face-to-face teaching as possible, supported by online teaching where necessary.
Students and staff will be asked to wear face coverings and leave the campus when their classes are over.