University of Bath claims the top spot in the South West for another year

The University of Bath has once again solidified its position as the premier institution in the South West, clinching the top spot in the highly regarded Complete University Guide rankings for the region. In addition to this remarkable achievement, Bath has secured an incredible 5th position in the national rankings, reaffirming its status as a leading institution renowned for its exceptional teaching and groundbreaking research. 

Every year the Complete University Guide releases UK university and subject league tables to support prospective students to make informed decisions about their future. The regional league tables help people find the right university for them in their area. 

The South West boasts a strong higher education landscape, as evidenced by the impressive rankings achieved by its universities in the highly respected and independent Complete University Guide.  

In the overall league tables, the University of Bristol achieved an impressive 15th place nationally, reflecting its commitment to delivering a comprehensive and enriching educational experience. This makes Bristol the 2nd highest placed university from the South West.  Joining both Bristol and Bath in the national top 20 is the University of Exeter which scored a respectable 18th place.  

It has been a good year for smaller and specialist institutions too, with Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester climbing a magnificent 22 places - one of the largest year-on-year improvements anywhere in the UK. Known for its specialisation in agriculture, agri-business, and rural studies, the Royal Agricultural University continues to excel in its field and contribute to the advancement of the industry.  

Other big movers in the South West were Bournemouth University (55th) up 17 and University of Falmouth (61st)  up 9 places compared to its 2023 placement.  

The Complete University Guide’s league table follows on from last month’s Student Choice Awards, hosted by its sister site Whatuni, building on the information available to prospective students to help them make the right decisions as they consider their higher education options.  

Within the South West region are pockets of subject-level excellence. Despite the following universities performing below 40th in the overall table, all had high-quality subject rankings reinforcing the importance of looking below the overall ranking. The Royal Agricultural University (73rd) ranks 7th nationally for Land & Property Management as well as 11th for Agriculture & Forestry. Bournemouth University (55th) ranks 6th for Paramedic Science. 

Universities in the South West continue to demonstrate their dedication to academic excellence, research innovation, and student satisfaction. These achievements further enhance the region's reputation as a hub for higher education and reinforce its appeal to students seeking a world-class educational experience. 

Professor Amanda Chetwynd, Chair of the Complete University Guide Advisory Board, said:  

Congratulations to the University of Bath for achieving a top position in this year’s Complete University Guide regional rankings. The rankings show just how high the standards are among the South West top universities. 

Many prospective students in the South West are keen to find the best university in the local area. Complete University Guide’s regional league tables are a valuable source of information to give local prospective students a greater understanding of what higher education options there are in the South West.

Simon Emmett, Chief Executive Officer of IDP Connect, said:  

With more and more students thinking about how they can make the most of their university experience, the 2024 Complete University Guide league tables will serve as an important guide. We know these rankings help them to make the right decisions about where and what to study as they take their first steps into higher education.

What makes the Complete University Guide special is its independence. Our expert board considers a whole array of information before producing our highly-regarded rankings. The tables’ independence from our other operations remains a crucial part of our organisation and ensures that students, parents, and advisors can trust the results and make informed choices based on them.

The Complete University Guide is exactly that. It is complete – as well as academic rankings, our guide covers the issues which parents and students also worry about such as cost of living and local crime rates. We know that when it comes to choosing where to study, the Complete University Guide has it all.

ENDS 

Notes to editors:  

• The team behind thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk has compiled university league tables for more than 25 years. Since 2007, these have been freely available online. The Guide is an autonomous division of IDP Education, global leader in education services and technology, from which, by mutual agreement, it retains its complete editorial independence.  
• thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk attracts over ten million visitors each year.  
• The main league table is based on ten measures: Entry Standards, Student Satisfaction, Research Quality, Research Intensity, Graduate Prospects – outcomes, Graduate Prospects – on track, Student-Staff Ratio, Spending on Academic Services, Spending on Student Facilities, and Continuation. It includes 130 institutions. 
• The Arts, Drama & Music League Table, published since 2016, lists 12 specialist institutions offering too small a subject range to appear in the main table. 
• The subject tables are based on six measures (Entry Standards, Student Satisfaction, Research Quality, Continuation, Graduate Prospects – outcomes and Graduate Prospects – on track) and include 151 universities, university colleges and specialist higher education institutions.  
• All university league tables on thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk can be filtered by region and mission group (Cathedrals Group, GuildHE, MillionPlus Group, Russell Group, University Alliance, as well as unaffiliated universities). Tables from the current and previous years can be downloaded. All tables can also be sorted by any of the measures that comprise them.  
• Criteria for inclusion in the main university league table or the subject tables can be seen on our website.  

Press & media contacts

For more information contact:

• Jonah Duffin, Director of External Relations - jonah.duffin@idp.com
• Gareth Snell, Cathod Du Media Agency - gareth@cathoddu.com - 07515164417