Bristol Nosedives in Uni Rankings

Bristol has limped to a miserable 23rd place in the Guardian University Guide 2014, sinking from last year’s feeble 18th position, and miles off an elusive top five slot.

Boringly, Oxford and Cambridge continue to hog the top two spots (though it remains to be seen whether anyone outside Oxbridge actually cares which way round the duo come), whilst usual suspects LSE, Durham and UCL also sneak into the top tent.

Bringing up the rear

In news that will no doubt rile some Bristol students, the University of Surrey, which boasts venerable talkshow host and professional bear-baiter Jeremy Kyle as one of its notable alumni, secures an impressive 9th place.

The universities in the league table (which The Guardian modestly pronounces is “the one to watch”) are ranked based on a variety of factors, but claims to prioritise ‘student experience’.

Jezza Kyle: Surrey’s Finest

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) are heavily weighted – and focus on student satisfaction with teaching, feedback and assessment, and satisfaction overall.

This is one possible explanation for Bristol’s disappointing performance, as the uni is notorious for its low student satisfaction scores.

However, it’s hard to tell whether this is down to genuinely poor teaching and feedback, disproportionately high expectations before coming to uni, or students not bothering to fill out the National Student Survey forms unless they’re really narked.

Whatever the reasons, with tuition fees at a hefty £9k, it’s possible that some prospective students may think twice about applying to a uni that apparently can’t even break the top 20.