University continues upward trajectory in latest national league table

9 June 2019

UCLan moves up four places in the Guardian’s 2020 University Guide while six subject areas make national top twenty with Chemistry ranked second and Social Work fifth in the UK

The Guardian University Guide for 2020 has seen the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) continue its encouraging performance in this year’s round of national league tables.

In this latest ranking, UCLan has risen four places to 72nd position out of 121 universities.

The ranking follows on from April’s Complete University Guide where the University was the highest riser in the country, up 27 places and ranked 75th out of 131 institutions.

The Guardian’s table, renowned for focusing on the aspects of the university experience which are deemed to be of greatest importance to students and parents, highlights UCLan’s rise of 18 places to 56th overall in the ‘career after six months’ category.

Five further ranking measures have also shown improvement including: student to staff ratio; average entry tariff; course continuation; satisfaction with feedback and satisfaction with course. 

"To be ranked second in the UK for our chemistry provision is a huge achievement but 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 offer."

Liz Bromley, UCLan’s Joint Institutional Lead, said the league table reflected UCLan’s commitment to provide an excellent student experience and equip graduates with the skills needed to thrive as global citizens and meet their life and career goals.

“Once again this table highlights the huge efforts we are making to improve our students’ employability prospects. At 56th overall, we are well above the national average for this factor. Our soon-to-be-opened £35 million Engineering Innovation Centre help ensure this trend continues; supporting new generations of creative talent and entrepreneurs and shaping the future of skills development in both Lancashire and the North West as a whole.”

Nationally the University was positioned in the top 20 for the following subjects: Architecture 16th (out of 51); Art 12th (out of 66); Chemistry 2nd (out of 55); Drama & Dance 12th (out of 87); Fashion & Textiles 8th (out of 49); Pharmacy & Pharmacology 15th (out of 40); Social Work 5th (out of 78).

Dr Lynne Livesey, Joint Institutional Lead, added: “To be ranked second for our chemistry provision and fifth for social work in the UK is a huge achievement but 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 offer and ensures our course portfolio meets the demands of students and employers.

“This table also highlights that our retention initiatives are having a real impact, meaning students irrespective of their backgrounds are fulfilling their potential and taking advantage of the life-changing opportunities that a university education provides.”

The University’s success in this UK league table follows the University’s stunning triple achievement at the most recent Times Higher Education (THE) Awards. Against very stiff competition, the University won the categories for Best International Collaboration of the Year; Excellence and Innovation in the Arts and Most Innovative Contribution to Business-University Collaboration.