The Guardian University Guide placed Durham fourth in the UK this year, rising by one place since last year.
Durham University has ranked one place higher than last year in the Guardian University Guide 2021, overtaking Loughborough University.
Rising to fourth place, Durham celebrates its fourth consecutive year in a top five position of this university guide – a testament to Durham’s “outstanding student experience and cutting-edge teaching”.
First, second and third places were awarded to Oxford, St Andrews and Cambridge, respectively.
The Guardian University Guide ranked 20 subjects at Durham in the UK top ten, with 12 in the top five. Of those, Music has ranked first for the second year in a row, English and Chemistry have ranked second (below Oxford in both), and Forensic Science and Archaeology third.
Holistically formed by a number of indicators including student satisfaction scores, teaching and feedback, and the proportion of graduates in employment or further study after graduation, the Guardian University Guide has cemented Durham’s reputation for student experience.
These results follow a particularly difficult academic year with Covid-19 and staff strikes, yet Durham has also placed seventh in the Complete University Guide, firmly within its UK top ten status for the twelfth consecutive year. Durham is also ranked 86th in the QS World University Rankings, its lowest position in five years. However, in the recent Times Higher Education rankings, Durham was ranked 18th in the UK, and fell further in the Times Higher Education World University rankings.
Professor Stuart Corbridge, Vice-Chancellor and Warden of the University, has said of the Guardian rankings: “I am delighted we have risen to fourth position in this national league table. Our continuing success reflects the work being done here in Durham to give our students an outstanding education and a wonderful wider student experience. To achieve this and our other league table successes during what continues to be a challenging time for the UK higher education Sector, is hugely rewarding and reflects extremely well on our staff and students.”
To see the full guide: https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2020/sep/05/the-best-uk-universities-2021-league-table