Loughborough is officially one of the top five universities in the UK

Famous for being the best at sport, Loughborough is now officially one of the best universities in the UK.

In The Guardian’s University League Tables for 2017, we came in fourth place – proving we’ve officially made it.

While the top three places were retained by Cambridge, Oxford and St Andrews, Loughborough jumped seven places to join Surrey in fourth.

The Guardian’s league tables rank universities according to: spending per student; the student/staff ratio; graduate career prospects; what grades applicants need to get a place.

They also factor in a value-added score that compares students’ entry qualifications with their final degree results, and how satisfied final-year students are with their courses, based on results from the annual National Student Survey (NSS). Specialist tables also rank universities by subject area.

Bob Allison, vice-chancellor of Loughborough University, puts Loughborough’s success down to having a clear focus.

“Many university strategies are unbelievably long and very complex. My view is there’s little point in doing that. Most people won’t read it and they cannot then understand what we are trying to achieve. You can put our university strategy on one side of paper. I said, keep it really really simple. Focus on no more than three or four things that will make a serious difference.”

Those things are supporting staff, increasing the university’s international reach, raising standards – and “recognising that all students who come here are making a serious commitment and we have to commit to them”.