As is now customary at the start of the new academic year, ‘rankings season’ is now well and truly upon us as September sees a suite of different newspapers and analysts publishing their university guides and league tables. Below is a summary of some of the recent releases’ findings. 

The Times / Sunday Times Good University Guide

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide is an annual publication offering a comprehensive overview of UK universities and higher education institutions, evaluating them based on criteria that includes:

• National Student Survey (NSS) scores for teaching quality and student experience
• Research quality
• Graduate prospects
• Firsts and 2:1s
• Entry standards
• Continuation rate
• Student – staff ratio

In its 2024 rankings, the University has risen two places to 48^th in the UK and is ranked fifth in the South East (with Oxford taking the top spot) and has attained or maintained top 10 positioning for several subjects:

• American Studies – 2^nd  
• Animal Science – 6^th  
• History of Art, Architecture and Design - 8^th  
• Education – 10^th  

Guardian Good University Guide

In the recently-released Guardian rankings Sussex rose a place from 66^th to 65^th and had the following subjects in top 10 positions:

• Zoology – 5^th 
• History of Art – 7^th  
• Medicine (at Brighton and Sussex Medical School) - 10^th

The Daily and Sunday Mail

The Daily and Sunday Mail have also issued their first university league table, in which the University is ranked 54^th in the UK.

In the Mail’s overview of Sussex, the University was complimented on how much our students enjoy their time here and how we foster strong community spirit. 

The QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024

The QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024 were released this week, and ranked Sussex 32^nd in the UK overall, and 18^th in Europe for sustainability. The University also fared strongly in citations per paper, where we are ranked as 19^th in Europe. 

Improving our rankings  

Although rankings and league tables only tell part of the story of what it’s like to be at university, they are a high-profile indicator of how students and the public perceive Sussex, and have implications for student recruitment, our reputation and our finances. While the small improvements in the Times and Guardian, on top of the QS World rankings earlier in the year, are a step in the right direction, we are very aware there is much still to do. We will be focused on our student experience as we develop our new strategy over the coming year, and hope this will result in improved National Student Survey (NSS) scores.

To further address and improve our positioning in the important QS World University Rankings, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Michael Luck, has recently asked academic colleagues to share academic and employer contacts who may be willing to participate in the QS survey of reputation which informs the ranking. This is an annual submission and we’re grateful for the level of support that colleagues have provided in the last few cycles. We are also establishing a new Academic Performance Improvement Board, which will be chaired by Professor Michael Luck, that will continue work started last year, led by the Vice-Chancellor, examining the contributing factors to league table performance and seeking to drive improvement in key metrics.  

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