News

Durham firmly placed among UK’s leading universities

(27 May 2010)

Durham University has cemented its place among the UK's leading higher education institutions, according to two prestigious national league tables.

The Complete University Guide (CUG) 2010-2011 ranked Durham as the fourth best institution in the country - up from fifth last year - placing it firmly alongside other leading research-led institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London.

Durham also moved up two places at the top echelons of The Times Good University Guide (GUG) 2011 - overtaking University College London and the University of Warwick.

In both guides Durham scored high marks in student satisfaction and for the average amount it spends per student on facilities for education, social and leisure purposes such as its colleges and sport facilities.

These scores were reflected in the high number of students (97.8 per cent) who successfully completed a Durham degree - the third highest degree completion rate in the country after Oxford and Cambridge.

Durham also performed well in individual subject league tables with the University featuring in the top five or top ten in almost every subject across the sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities.

Durham has continually climbed up the rankings in both the CUG, published in The Independent, and the GUG which look at a number of factors including student satisfaction, spending on services and facilities, entry standards, course completion rates and graduate prospects.

Professor Chris Higgins, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, said Durham's performance was down to steady and across-the-board improvements, and the University had seen significant investment in academic services and student and staff facilities.

Spend per student in key areas at Durham is among the highest in the Higher Education sector.

Professor Higgins said: "Durham's outstanding performance in two highly-regarded national league tables demonstrates that the University is consistently recognised as one of the best universities in the UK's world-class higher education system.

"I'm particularly pleased as these tables take into account comprehensive data and the independent feedback of students to deliver a strong and reliable indication of university quality.

"Durham attracts high-quality students who benefit from research-led teaching, delivered by world-leading academics, supported by the unique social and pastoral experience offered by our colleges.

"This distinctive experience and our continued improvements have been reflected in these tables which once again show that Durham University is a great place at which to study and work."

Top five and top ten subjects according to the Complete University Guide 2010-2011

Top five subjects: archaeology; chemistry, classics and ancient history; English; French; general engineering; German; history; Iberian languages; medicine; Middle Eastern and African studies; physics and astronomy; philosophy; Russian and East European languages; sociology; sports science; and theology and religious studies.

Top ten subjects: anthropology; biological sciences; economics; education; geography; geology (earth sciences); Italian; law; mathematics; music; politics; and psychology.

Top five and top ten subjects according to The Times Good University Guide 2011

Top five subjects: archaeology; chemistry; classics and ancient history; education; English; French; general engineering; geography; German; history; Iberian languages; Italian; Middle Eastern and African studies; physics and astronomy; Russian; sports science; and theology and religious studies.

Top ten subjects: anthropology; civil engineering; economics, geology (earth sciences); law; mathematics; philosophy; psychology; and sociology.

For more information on the Complete University Guide 2010-2011 go to http://tinyurl.com/27luxqz

For more information on The Times Good University Guide 2011 visit: http://tinyurl.com/yrdm7s