University climbs the league table
19/05/2008 12:17


The University has risen six places to 55 in The Guardian University Guide 2009, with excellent performance in certain key areas.

The tables are based on a combination of aspects such as National Student Survey findings, expenditure per student, student:staff ratios and entry tariffs.

Results are shown for universities as a whole as well as for individual subject areas. Birmingham City University’s ranking is not only an improvement on last year, but a considerably better rating than key competitor institutions* such as Coventry University at 75, De Montfort University at 82 and Wolverhampton University at 113.

There was further good news in some of the key 47 subject areas that can be compared between universities. 

• Drama and Dance provision is particularly well regarded, ranking 4th overall, with only the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama and Warwick University doing better. 
  
• Art & Design also performed well, ranked 20th in the UK. 
  
• Music, which includes music technology courses across the University and at franchise colleges, is also listed 20th. 
  
• For Education the University ranked 25th. Again this includes courses at franchise colleges and puts the University ahead of key competitors such as Newman University College, Wolverhampton University and Birmingham University.
  

Ranking/Institution

• 19 Aston
• 31 Birmingham
• 42 Nottingham Trent
• 50 Newman University College
• 55 Birmingham City University
• 65 UWE Bristol
• 75 Coventry
• 76 Northumbria
• 78 Sheffield Hallam
• 79 Northampton
• 82 De Montfort
• 92 Manchester Met
• 97 Leeds Met
• 113 Wolverhampton
  

We remain ahead of our top two competitors, Wolverhampton and Coventry. Key areas are shown below:

Subject area and position

• Drama and Dance 4 (Only beaten by LIPA, Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, Warwick)
• Art & Design 20 (ahead of Nottingham Trent, Leeds University, Bournemouth Arts Institute, Manchester Met, De Montfort, Leeds Met )
• Education 25 (ahead of Newman College, Wolverhampton, Nottingham Trent, Sheffield Hallam, Northampton, Birmingham)
• Music 20 (This includes Music Tech courses at TIC and franchise colleges)
• Nursing 50 (ahead of Wolverhampton)
• Law 51 (ahead of Coventry, Wolverhampton)
• For Mechanical Engineering the University is ranked joint-first for Value Added (scoring 10/10) and 13th for Overall Teaching - ahead of both Birmingham (18) and Aston (23).
  
  *Key competitors are based on the institutions to which our 2007 decliners also applied and are specific to the faculty concerned. The link to search subject rankings is available by clicking here.
  
  Click here to take a look at the overall institution rankings.
  
  The Independent Good University Guide, which was published at the end of April, saw the University slip two places to 69th from last years 67. This table uses a similar combination of factors which for the first time this year included results of the National Student Survey. League tables are regarded by many as a key indicator of relative performance and used by prospective students when comparing universities. 
  
  The Times Good University Guide is due to be published in the next few weeks.
  
  
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  Birmingham City University is the new name unveiled for the former University of Central England in Birmingham
  For more information about the name change, please click here