City universities both down in key rankings

BOTH of Bristol’s universities have fallen in the latest Good University Guide, published by The Times and The Sunday Times.

The University of Bristol dropped one place in the guide to 14th, but the University of West of England slipped 15 places to 73rd.

Meanwhile, the University of Bath has held its rank of ninth place to remain the top-performing institution in the South West.

The University of Gloucestershire was 96th, Bath Spa University 103rd, Hartpury University 112th and the Royal Agricultural University 116th.

The guide provides the definitive rankings for UK universities and the most comprehensive overview of UK higher education.

It includes profiles of 135 universities, making use of data published in the past two months.

The guide says of the University of Bristol: “A degree from Bristol carries weight with employers, and the university achieved another top ten place in the latest High Fliers graduate market report, which reveals the universities most targeted by leading graduate employers.

“The surge in student numbers experienced by Bristol since the cap on student numbers was lifted is showing no signs of slowing down.

“There were almost seven applications per place in the 2020 admissions cycle, pushing enrolments 37 per cent higher than in 2014, with a similar hike in applications.

“The 2021 cycle looks set to be another whopper for Bristol: applications were already 9 per cent higher by the end of March than they were at the same point the year before.”

Meanwhile, the guide said of UWE: “Boosting work-ready skills for its graduates is central to activities at UWE Bristol, which has one of the largest internship programmes at any university.

“In a recent snapshot of its goings-on, the scheme had almost 11,000 contacts registered across 5,800 organisations and was advertising 370 vacancies.

“After stellar results in the National Student Survey (NSS) last year (when UWE Bristol finished sixth for students’ satisfaction with the wider undergraduate experience and 13th for their assessment of teaching quality), there was one of the sharpest downturns during the pandemic year, although scores for both NSS-derived rankings in our table still remain within the UK top 50.

“Over the past year, the university created more outdoor covered spaces so that students could connect socially and safely, and added outside catering outlets.

“The return to hands-on learning at UWE Bristol’s facilities should help to return satisfaction levels among undergraduates.”

After a year of closed campuses and a move to online learning, the guide reveals most universities have seen a dramatic drop in student satisfaction and teaching quality scores in the latest National Student Survey.