Cambridge holds on to top spot for sixth consecutive year, followed by Oxford and St Andrews

Loughborough University, famous for its athletic prowess, has leapfrogged into the top five in the new Guardian University Guide.

While the top three places were retained by Cambridge, Oxford and St Andrews, Loughborough jumped seven places to join Surrey in fourth. The university – which was Team GB’s preparation HQ in the run-up to the London Olympics – was particularly boosted by the success of its engineering department. It ranked highly for its fashion and textiles, as well as design and crafts courses.



Cambridge, which held on to the top spot in the Guardian’s main league table for the sixth year in a row, increased its dominance across the specialist tables, coming top in 12 subject areas.



Other universities rising through the rankings include Leeds (moved from 23 to 16), Falmouth (31 to 21) and City – which jumped from 37 to 18, making it the fastest climber in this year’s top 20.



The Guardian’s league tables rank universities according to: spending per student; the student/staff ratio; graduate career prospects; what grades applicants need to get a place; a value-added score that compares students’ entry qualifications with their final degree results; and how satisfied final-year students are with their courses, based on results from the annual National Student Survey (NSS). Specialist tables also rank universities by subject area.



It was a rise in satisfaction ratings – especially among journalism and accounting and finance students – that helped drive City University’s climb through the tables.



Professor Sir Paul Curran, vice-chancellor, says the university has focused on investing in staff and better facilities.

“It’s about hearing what the students say, making sure we support our staff to provide high quality education, and also making sure the routine things are done – like students get their work back on time,” he says.



Bob Allison, vice-chancellor of Loughborough University, puts Loughborough’s success down to having a clear focus.



“Many university strategies are unbelievably long and very complex. My view is there’s little point in doing that. Most people won’t read it and they cannot then understand what we are trying to achieve. You can put our university strategy on one side of paper. I said, keep it really really simple. Focus on no more than three or four things that will make a serious difference.”

Those things are supporting staff, increasing the university’s international reach, raising standards – and “recognising that all students who come here are making a serious commitment and we have to commit to them”.

Loughborough’s rise

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Loughborough is becoming increasingly sought-after among university applicants, says its vice-chancellor. Photograph: Loughborough University

Had Loughborough been a commonwealth country, its athletes would have put it 11th in the medals table at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Its alumni include sports stars Sebastian Coe, Paula Radcliffe and Tanni Grey-Thompson. Now it is concentrating on stepping up the pace academically too.

The university moved into the top spot for fashion and textiles in the Guardian league tables, is second for design and crafts, third in chemistry and fifth in journalism. Increased entry tariffs in almost every subject stand out as one reason for this impressive performance.



Allison says this is not because the university has a burning desire to compete with the elite Russell Group of top research universities. “I want Loughborough to be known for Loughborough,” he says. “Not because we are part of some group.” But so many students now want to go there that the university can afford to be choosy.

Particularly striking is the strong showing of its engineering schools, which provide nearly 40% of the university’s student body and together recruit more undergraduate engineers than any other UK institution. Loughborough’s mechanical engineering is now third in the Guardian’s tables. Its materials engineering is second. Allison says the number of engineers “sets a bit of an ethos for the place. There’s a work ethic that rubs off on all of the students”.

Rachel Thomson, professor of materials engineering and dean of the school of aeronautical, automotive, chemical and materials engineering, says engineering has benefited from strong partnerships between students, staff, professional bodies and employers. “We are building on a long established reputation for engineering education,” she says. “I think we do a lot of things to offer opportunities for our students.”



More than 1,220 Loughborough students took up work placements last year – around 400 of them engineering students. The placements help boost student employability: 94% of Loughborough’s graduates go into employment or further study, and of those in full-time employment, 90% take up professional or managerial roles.



Allison also sees the placements as a way to achieve a diverse student body: the promise of a paid placement helps to encourage applications from students from disadvantaged backgrounds.



The main challenge now, says Allison, is to maintain Loughborough’s position among the pace setters.

“Everyone looks at it from the outside and sees sport,” says Bryn Wilkes, vice-president, media, at Loughborough’s students’ union. “But for me, what makes the place great is the other things sport can bring – friendly competition underpins it. Everyone wants to be as good as they can be.”

