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Highest ever ranking for Northumbria

17th May 2017

Northumbria University, Newcastle, has climbed to 48th place in the 2018 Guardian University League Table – its highest ever position.

Moving up from 50th last year, this latest result reflects the University’s continuing progress and represents an impressive overall improvement of 20 places in the past two years. The table ranks the country’s 121 universities by scoring each institution against a range of aspects of the student experience, including satisfaction with teaching, students’ average entry tariffs and employability.

Northumbria is ranked as the seventh highest in the UK on value added, comparing individual degree results with entry qualifications, which reflects the quality of teaching at the University. The Guardian’s league table also places Northumbria’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Physics, Design, and Education courses in the top 20. Architecture, Nursing and Midwifery, Journalism, Publicity and Public Relations, Law, Building and Town and Country Planning, Health Professions, Civil Engineering and Criminology, are all ranked in the top 30.

The rise marks the University’s highest ever position in this league table, and follows another strong performance in last month’s Complete University Guide where Northumbria moved up four places on the previous year to 55th.  Northumbria is also ranked as the top university in the UK for graduate start-up businesses based on turnover. According to the latest Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey, turnover from Northumbria graduate businesses for 2015/16 reached £69.2 million – almost £25 million more than the second placed institution.

Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said: “This success reflects the research-rich learning and teaching at Northumbria, coupled with an outstanding student experience and excellent career prospects for our graduates.  The University is on the right course to achieve its strategic vision focused clearly on quality”.

Northumbria is ranked top 50 in the UK for research power and had the fourth largest increase in quality research funding (REF 2014). According to Times Higher Education, Northumbria had the biggest rise in research power of any university in the UK.

 Northumbria continues to invest in its commitment to a future vision focused on quality and the student experience. A new partnership agreement with Santander, for example, will provide £150,000 of funding over the next three years to support 150 paid internship opportunities for students to gain valuable work experience. Last year the University announced a £52 million investment in its estate to create new teaching and research facilities. This builds on £200m invested in the previous decade.

For more information on courses offered at Northumbria University visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/courses, or you can also register to attend one of the Summer Open Days on June 30 and July 1.

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Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

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Research is the life blood of a University and at Northumbria University we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

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