Southampton beats Oxbridge in new rankings

A recent poll conducted by the Telegraph has placed the University of Southampton to be a Top 40 university based on the approval ratings of students. The poll, which was released earlier this week, saw Southampton place 40th in the overall league table of 125 universities based on the analysis of over 25,000 reviews from Whatuni.com, which categorises universities rankings based on 10 different categories: accommodation, city life, clubs and societies, courses and lecturers, job prospects, student union, facilities, support services and an overall rating.

By placing 40th in the poll, Southampton outperformed the likes of Imperial, UCL and most notably both Oxford and Cambridge. And of course the most satisfying result from the survey is the incredible 56 spot gap between Southampton and neighbours Southampton Solent University, who placed 96th in the table.

Poor Solent: It seems that they simply cannot compete, placing 56 places below University of Southampton

Students who have already seen the poll are pleased with Southampton placing so high in the table, with one student, Seren Adlem, expressing her delight at beating the Oxbridge universities. When asked why she thought Southampton beat the two most renowned universities in the country, she responded with “If I had their workload, I’d probably hate it too.” When asked for his thoughts on the ranking of Southampton, Ali Laham described it as an “incredible feat that gives a real confidence boost for students’”.

Harper Adams University in Shropshire placed highest on the league table, overtaking long-time leaders Loughborough University. The poll also shows an overall increase in student satisfaction for the second year in a row, growing from 81% to 83%. However, worryingly there were significant drops in satisfaction levels surrounding job prospects, student support, clubs and societies, and student unions.