Sussex has been placed 8^th in the UK, 16^th in Europe and 79^th in the world in the Times Higher Education magazine's 2010-11 World University Rankings.

The results, which make Sussex the highest-ranked among the research-intensive 1994 Group of universities, set Sussex alongside some of the world's most prestigious institutions.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, attributes the success of Sussex in recent years to major improvements in the student experience and a particularly strong research portfolio. The THE league table ranks Sussex 4^th in the UK for the impact of its research as measured by its research citation counts.

Professor Farthing says: "New student programmes, new facilities, new approaches to teaching and learning - all of these initiatives have augmented the University's individual approach to research and teaching.

"But what is really making a difference is the impact of our research. Our citation score indicates that we are producing research of outstanding quality.

"I am confident that we will see further advances in the years to come, and that Sussex will have real cause for celebration of its achievements when it celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2011-12."

The THE table, produced for the first time this year by Thomson Reuters, includes an invitation-only reputation survey of more than 13,000 verified academics conducted by Ipsos Mori.

A new methodology, focussing on teaching quality, research volume and income, research impact (measured by citations), industry income and international mix of staff and students, was used to produce the league table, which is intended to reflect objective evidence rather than historic reputation.

Ann Mroz, editor of the Times Higher Education magazine, congratulated the University of Sussex, saying: "Being ranked 79 in the world top 200 is an impressive achievement. The top 200 universities in the world represent only a tiny fraction of world higher education and any institution that makes it into this table is truly world class."

This latest ranking rounds off a clutch of impressive results for Sussex in 2010:

• The Guardian University Guide saw Sussex rise to 15^th place in the UK;
• Sussex was ranked at 21 in the Times Good University Guide, up 14 places on 2009;
• The Independent's Complete University Guide put Sussex in the top 20, at 19;
• The Sunday Times league table put Sussex 21^st in the UK.

The league table rankings tally with student opinion, with Sussex ranked joint 7^th nationally in 2010's National Student Survey.

Full round-up of rankings for the University of Sussex