Durham ranked in the top 75 unis in the world

Durham has shot up to the dizzy heights of the top 75 unis in the world, reaching its highest ever overall position.

Durham University skyrocketed to 61st place in the QS World University Rankings – up from 92nd place last year.

The rankings score unis based on their academic reputation, employer reputation, the ratio of academic staff to students, citations per faculty and the ratio of international staff to students.

The university’s highest score was in employer reputation with an impressive 98.4, which places Durham at 31st in the world in this category.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Corbridge said: “I’m delighted that once again the world-class experience we offer to students has been recognised by leading employers who value the quality and strength of our graduates, ranking us among the best in the world for employer reputation.”

Durham’s significant rise in this prestigious league table was partially due to less favouring of scientific research and better recognition of institutions that are outstanding in arts and humanities.

The results are especially something to be proud of given that British institutions overall slipped down the latest rankings, which are dominated by big American universities.

While Durham gained over 30 places, Durham’s rival Exeter remained at an unimpressive 161st place and was awarded only 52 in academic reputation – a meagre figure considering Durham’s impressive score of 75.4.

Now that this influential league table has once again proven our academic prestige, it is time for Exeter to stop trying to compare themselves to Durham.

Ranked fifth in the Complete University Guide 2016 after Cambridge, Oxford, LSE and Imperial, Durham really does have a reputation to be celebrated both in the UK and the whole world.