For the second time, Aberdeen University has been ranked the fifth top university in Scotland in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.
The university was ranked in the top five Scottish universities this year based on teaching quality and student experience.
According to the league table, Aberdeen University received a score of 79% in this year’s teaching quality survey, the third highest in Scotland and 14th in the UK.
It also ranked highly for student completion rate at around 90% and the percentage of graduates in high-skilled jobs which was around 80%.
Student experience is 9th in the UK reflecting the results from a national student survey earlier this year.
Ensuring students have an ‘excellent’ student experience
Across the whole of the UK, Aberdeen University moved up a spot to 19th place in the UK-wide university rankings.
This is the first time that the University has been ranked this highly for more than 20 years.
Nine subject areas have been ranked in the UK top 10 with anatomy & physiology placing first.
Medicine, anthropology and geology are all holding 6th place and chemical engineering and English are in eighth place.
Senior vice-principal, Professor Karl Leydecker, said: “We are delighted to see the community’s efforts reflected in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.
“Our continued ranking within the top 20 demonstrates our strong emphasis on providing our students with the best possible educational experience.
“The university has performed outstandingly well in the National Student Survey in the past two years including being ranked in the top five in the UK for overall satisfaction, and these latest rankings build on our successes.
“Our consistent good performance is testimony to the outstanding effort of the whole university to ensure that our students have an excellent student experience despite the challenges of the pandemic.”
RGU ranked 11th in Scotland
St Andrews was in the top spot in Scotland again but had moved down a position across the UK to second place.
Robert Gordon University was at 11th place in Scotland for the second year in a row with an 85% completion rate and received 81% for quality of teaching.
Last year, the university was ranked at 62nd in the UK but has moved down to 65th this year.
RGU principal, Steve Olivier, said: “We are delighted that Robert Gordon University is in the top five in the UK for student experience and top 20 for teaching quality in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide rankings.
“Rising to third in the UK and in Scotland for student experience while retaining 2nd place in Scotland for teaching quality is a testament to maintaining the highest standards of teaching and learning for our students despite challenges from Covid-19.
“As we move forward into the new academic year, we will continue to strive towards delivering a consistently high-quality, professional teaching and learning framework, providing students with a positive path to reaching their career aspirations beyond graduation.”
The top 14 in Scotland
- University of St Andrews
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Glasgow
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Dundee
- University of Stirling
- Glasgow Caledonian University
- Heriot-Watt University
- Edinburgh Napier University
- Robert Gordon University
- Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
- Abertay University
- University of the West of Scotland
What about UHI?
The University of the Highlands and Islands is not included in the league table out of agreement with the university.
They are however profiled in the guide with other institutions that are not league tabled, including Open University and London-based Birkbeck.
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 aims to provide students and their parents with full profiles and first reference on universities in the UK and have been publishing a combined guide since 2013.
Ranked on eight different indicators, the academic league table looks at student satisfaction with teaching quality and their wider student experience.
It also takes into account research quality, graduate prospects, entrance qualifications held by new students, degree results achieved, student and staff ratios and degree completion rates.
The full league table is available here.
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