Southampton rises in Sunday Times league table

The University of Southampton has risen two places in the last year, from 18th to 16th, in this year’s Good University Guide league tables.

The guide has been described as “the most authoritative guide for prospective students and their parents” by Prof. Koen Lamberts, the University of York’s Vice-Chancellor.

Cambridge maintained the top ranking from 2014, with Oxford just behind. The two lead Imperial in 3rd by some distance.

Southampton was ranked top in just one subject, Physiotherapy, while Cambridge led in 35 subjects, including Chemistry, Electrical Engineering and History.

The University ranked 7th nationally for ‘research quality’, scoring 44.9%, well above top-10 overall ranking universities such as Surrey and Durham.

Student experience was rated at 86.5%, placing Southampton in 25th, while graduate prospects were just 78.1%; ranking 33rd nationally.

The guide says “relatively modest levels of student satisfaction prevent Southampton from entering the overall top 10”.

Union President Ben Franklin said the University’s “deal clincher” was that it is “ranked in the top 1% in the world”, while the “worst feature” is that “in the summer it can get very warm”.

He added “visitors are instantly impressed by our union building”.

The completion rate of 92.5% is on a par with similarly ranked universities, while 80.4% of students attending the university achieve either a first or a 2:1. The Guide also revealed we have an average graduate salary of £22,493.

The University of Surrey was named “University of the Year”, a rise from ‘solid middle-ranking’ which has been attributed to our incoming Vice-Chancellor, Sir Christopher Snowden’s strategy of “quality, internationalism, distinctiveness and sustainability”.

The Guide went on to describe Southampton as “arguably lacking from the same lack of a distinctive brand that once characterised Surrey.”

Our neighbours at Solent maintained their 2014 ranking at 115th- they marginally beat the UoS on teaching quality, holding a 79.5% rating.

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