UCLan moves up 20 places in The Guardian’s 2018 University Guide
The Guardian University Guide for 2018 has named the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) as one of the UK’s most improved universities having leaped 20 places to 67th position out of 121 universities.
The Preston-based University is the fifth highest riser nationally and is now ranked joint 5th out of 12 North West universities.
The Guardian’s table, renowned for focusing on the aspects of the university experience which are deemed to be of greatest importance to students, ranks eight UCLan subject areas in the top 20, compared with four last year.
The eight subject areas which feature in the top 20 are: dentistry; general engineering; social policy and administration; drama and dance; film production and photography; fashion; sports science; and anatomy and physiology.
"It’s extremely encouraging that the work we are doing to improve all aspects of teaching and learning at the University of Central Lancashire has been recognised in this national league table with a leap of 20 places."
Four further ranking measures have also improved: student to staff ratio; average entry tariff; students in a career after six months of leaving the institution; and value added score, which compares students’ individual degree results with their entry qualifications, to show the effectiveness of University teaching.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Mike Thomas said the results of this league table highlight UCLan’s commitment to providing an excellent student experience and equipping graduates with the skills needed to thrive in the working world.
He said: “It’s extremely encouraging that the work we are doing to improve all aspects of teaching and learning at the University of Central Lancashire has been recognised in this national league table with a leap of 20 places. It is a testament to the commitment of staff and our focus on transforming the lives of our students.
“This year we have a good number of subjects ranked in the national top 20, with eight making the list, that is double the figure we had last year. What I’m really pleased about is the wide variety of subjects represented in the top 20 list, as it highlights the breadth of excellence in our educational provision.”
"Our focus on embedding employability skills into every one of our degree programmes is proving popular with students and this is reflected with 92.2% of our students in a job or further study six months after leaving the University."
Professor Thomas added: “Our focus on embedding employability skills into every one of our degree programmes is proving popular with students and this is reflected with 92.2% of our students in a job or further study six months after leaving the University.”
The University’s success in this UK league table has followed the institution’s recent international recognition. UCLan was named in the Best Global Universities Rankings 2017 for the first time in its history, and this followed on from success in the THE World University Rankings, QS World Rankings and the Centre for World University Rankings when it was estimated to amongst the top 3.7% of all worldwide universities.