British agricultural university Harper Adams had managed to leapfrog a huge 21 places in one of the main national league tables.
It means the university is one of the highest climbers in the Complete University Guide national league table – jumping from 48th to 27th place.
The university had already made significant strides in recent years, advancing from 84th to 60th to 48th in the league table of 131 higher education institutions.
The main University League Table is based on 10 measures:
- Entry Standards;
- Student Satisfaction;
- Research Quality;
- Research Intensity;
- Graduate Prospects;
- Student-Staff Ratio;
- Spending on Academic Services;
- Spending on Student Facilities;
- Good Honours Degrees; and
- Completion.
It includes 131 institutions.
The 2020 position also makes Harper Adams the third highest ranked university in the West Midlands, with Birmingham and Warwick in first and second respectively.
Overall, the top spot was clinched by Cambridge just ahead of rivals Oxford. St. Andrew’s University came in at third.
In the agriculture and forestry subject rankings, Nottingham came in first place followed by Queen’s University, Belfast; Nottingham Trent; and Newcastle.
Welcoming the news, Prof. Peter Mills, Harper Adams University deputy vice-chancellor, said: “I am so proud of the achievements of the university staff and students across all measures and delighted that the compilers of the Complete University Guide have recognised this.
[The table] has seen Harper Adams climb from 84th to 27th place in five years – and now to the very cusp of the top 20% of all universities.
“The guide’s editor has commented on the significant improvement in graduate prospects across the sector this year and this is one area of particular success for Harper Adams, which scooped the Job Prospects WhatUni Student Choice Award last week – for the fourth year running.
“Our graduate employment rate of 97.2% is achieved thanks to extensive support from our staff; strong, long-standing links to industry and compulsory placement year for all undergraduates.”
Dr Bernard Kingston, chairman of TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk, said: “The evidence is clear: The increased emphasis, including funding, on employability and career planning within academic departments and student services are bearing fruit.”
