Where Yorkshire's universities rank in the Guardian's University Guide

The University of York has come out on top across the region in the Guardian's 2021 university guide after it moved up to 16th place, up four places from last year, in the broad sheet paper's annual university guide.

Dr Wayne Campbell, Academic Registrar at the University of York, told The Yorkshire Post: "We are pleased to have risen four places overall in the table since last year and to have eight of our courses in the top ten.

"These results show how we continue to offer excellent teaching, learning and student support here at York and that the student experience is at the heart of everything we do.

"These high standards are also reflected by our Gold standard in the Teaching Excellence Framework, the highest possible rating an institution can achieve."

The rankings are focused on what matters to young people, such as life chances and the quality of teaching. Universities are ranked through eight different categories, including current students' opinions of the institution, the quality of teaching, the ratios of teaching staff per student and expenditure per student.

It also looks at how many students had a job 15 months after graduating and how students' standards improve compared to their A-levels.

In courses, the University of York ranks particularly highly in History of Art, where it is placed fourth nationally and the traditional sciences, where it is placed sixth for biosciences and chemistry, and ninth for physics.

It also places sixth nationally for nursing and midwifery and ninth for archaeology and psychology.

Overall, the University of Oxford tops the table, with the University of St Andrews in second place and the University of Cambridge in third.

In total 10 Yorkshire universities featured in the top 121 institutions with the University of Leeds ranked second across the region (18th) , dropping seven places from last year.

While the University of Hull was the biggest riser across Yorkshire and the Humber region, moving up 23 places in the rankings and sitting at 72nd in the table for this year.

Two subjects at the university ranked in the top 10 in the rankings with American Studies ranked 5th in the 2021 guide, while Earth and Marine Sciences placed 7th out of a

total of 35 similar courses.

Professor Susan Lea, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hull, said: "The University of Hull is one of the key institutions and economic drivers in the region, providing a talent pool, research expertise and business support across the Humber and beyond.

"Our rise in this year’s Guardian rankings could not come at a better time for the University, as we prepare to welcome new and returning students back to our campus this month.

"Students are at the heart of everything we do at Hull. As the new Academic Year fast approaches, we will continue to build on this success and provide the best possible experience for all our students."

Meanwhile in South Yorkshire the University of Sheffield is another of the region's biggest improvers, moving up from 45th last year to 31st while Sheffield Hallam University has risen eight positions in the Guardian’s annual league table of best UK universities, breaking into the top 50 for the first time.

It marks the fourth consecutive year of improvement, with Hallam up 39 places since 2017 with the university now ranked 47th in the league table for 2021, representing the highest position for a modern university in the Yorkshire region.

"This is Sheffield Hallam’s highest ever position in the Guardian university guide; it shows the impressive impacts of our long-term change strategy which has placed students, engagement with our community and global ambitions at the heart of our thinking", Sheffield Hallam Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Chris Husbands, said. "It’s a reminder too, after the challenges of responding to Covid-19, that the university has resilience and strength and the real capability to realise its mission to transform lives."

Sheffield Hallam’s social work and languages courses are ranked amongst the top 10 in the national subject tables.

Several of the university’s other courses – including hospitality, events management and tourism, design, criminology, fashion and chemistry – also made it into the top 20 rankings for their respective course tables.

Elsewhere Huddersfield University has fallen 21 places in a university league table after the former polytechnic has dropped from 43rd best in the UK to 64th in the Guardian's 2021 university guide.

The University of York St John has moved into the top 100, rising from 107 last year to 91 this year with the University of Bradford (99th), a drop of 18 places from last year, Leeds Beckett (106), up 12 places from 2020, while Leeds Trinity has fallen 21 places from last year to 115th.

The Guardian newspaper produces its rankings every year as next year's A-level students consider their degree choices.

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James Mitchinson