UCLan rises 30 places in major league table

23 September 2019

The University is the second highest riser in the UK

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has risen 30 places in a major newspaper league table.

UCLan is second highest riser in the UK and is ranked 75th out of 131 in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020.

The Institution is ranked 30th nationally for Student to Staff Ratio (an increase of 48 places), 42nd for Teaching Quality (a rise of 44 places), and 59th for Student Experience (an improvement of 34 places).

UCLan also improved its ranking in the areas of: Research Quality, UCAS Entry Points, Completion Ratio and Services/Facilities Spend.

The University is also recognised for the work it does to provide students from all backgrounds an access route into higher education as it was ranked 15th for the number of mature students and equal 16th for widening participation.

Dr Lynne Livesey, UCLan Interim Vice-Chancellor, said: “Our rise of 30 places in The Sunday Times University Guide 2020 is a great reward for our commitment to providing an excellent student experience and for equipping our graduates with the skills they need to thrive in their chosen career path. As our new intake start their studies, it’s very timely to see the positive strides we’ve taken are recognised in this way.”

Among the top performing subject areas are:

  • Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation and Tourism - 9th out of 59
  • Food Science - 12th out of 41
  • Nursing - 29th out of 72

"UCLan is best known, however, for a longstanding commitment to widening participation in higher education and it is in our top 20 for social inclusion."

The Guide states: “UCLan dominates its home town of Preston and is expanding in nearby Burnley, where there is a collaboration with Cisco Systems for advanced manufacturing.

“More than 20 new degrees have come on stream this autumn, in subjects ranging from occupational therapy to cyber-psychology, professional policing and creative advertising. They will be followed next year by multimedia journalism and transatlantic studies. The university is also extending its already extensive programme of degree apprenticeships, and expects to have up to 2,000 apprentices by this time next year.

“UCLan offers an unusually wide range of subjects, including astrophysics, which benefits from a longstanding collaboration with NASA. The Dental School was one of the few to open in 100 years, while the architecture degree was the first to be introduced at a British university for a decade.

“UCLan academics have been involved in sector-leading stroke research with the Department of Health and work on nutritional science with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The undergraduate research internship scheme enables students from all disciplines to work on research projects for up to 10 weeks.

“UCLan is best known, however, for a longstanding commitment to widening participation in higher education and it is in our top 20 for social inclusion. Every undergraduate programme includes the option of a foundation year for those without the necessary qualifications for degree-level study, while large numbers take external programmes delivered in further education colleges.

“There is also a strong focus on entrepreneurship, with a range of business incubation facilities for students and graduates. Facilities for sport are excellent, both on campus and at the UCLan Sports Arena.”

This success follows on from being the biggest riser in the Complete University Guide 2020 while The Guardian’s 2020 University Guide highlighted UCLan’s big improvement in career prospects.