Greater Manchester universities climb national rankings as one loses top 25 spot

Three Greater Manchester universities have climbed up national rankings - but the city's biggest educational institution has dropped out of the top 25.

The University of Manchester has slipped to the 27th spot in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, falling into third place in the North West, behind Liverpool. The drop in rankings has been blamed on 'persistently low rates of student satisfaction'.

Meanwhile, Manchester Metropolitan University has made into the top 50 nationally after rising up the rankings from 60th to 46th. The university was also a runner up for the Sustainable University of the Year award with judges praising it for 'boosting biodiversity'.

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The University of Salford has also gone up the Times league table at 72, up nearly 20 places in two years. The University of Bolton remains out of the top 100 nationally but climbed up five places to 124, finishing 11th out of the 12 North West universities ranked.

The University of Manchester dropped one place last year to 24th. It has now been leapfrogged by the University of Liverpool.

Helen Davies, the editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, attributed the fall in the University of Manchester's ranking in the national rankings this year to 'persistently low rates of student satisfaction'. She said: "Manchester - England’s first civic university - is the UK’s most applied-to university; it registered almost 93,500 applications for entry in 2023.

"The university has, however, dropped just outside the top 25 of our league table this year due to persistently low rates of student satisfaction. Although not an uncommon issue among research-led and/or urban universities, Manchester remains in the bottom ten for satisfaction with teaching quality (126th) and the bottom 15 for the wider experience (120th) in our latest National Student Survey analysis."

Responding to the rankings, a University of Manchester spokesperson said: "The University of Manchester consistently ranks among the world’s leading universities. In 2023, the Teaching Excellence Framework awarded the University an overall silver rating, with gold for student outcomes and silver for student experience. We recognise there is more work to do, and as a university of our scale and ambition, we will continue to strive for improvements across all areas to ensure our students receive the best experience possible."

Lancaster University retains the top spot in the North West for another year, according to the guide, after holding onto 12th place nationally. Manchester Metropolitan University is fourth in the North West rankings with the University of Salford in sixth place.

The Guide’s judges highlighted Manchester Metropolitan University’s efforts in ‘boosting biodiversity’ including its ‘newly planted trees and wildflower areas’, with praise given to the regeneration of All Saints Park and the fact pedestrians and cyclists have priority over vehicles in surrounding campus areas. Also noted was the university’s second place award in the People and Planet University League.

It comes as the university marks its 200-year anniversary this month by celebrating how it is 'leading sustainability', including its efforts to help Greater Manchester become net zero by 2038. Professor Malcolm Press CBE, Manchester Met’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition which is testament to our collective efforts and unwavering dedication to sustainability.

“Tackling the environmental and societal changes facing our world is at the core of what we do here at Manchester Met. We’re committed to using our impactful teaching and research to drive progress for the future, transform lives and support economic growth. Our aim is to be a beacon of sustainable development practice by 2030, and this award and ranking rise reflect our significant progress to date as well as our ambitious vision for the future.”

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University of Manchester consistently ranks among the world’s leading universities.

"In 2023, the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) awarded the University an overall silver rating, with gold for student outcomes and silver for student experience. We recognise there is more work to do, and as a university of our scale and ambition, we will continue to strive for improvements across all areas to ensure our students receive the best experience possible.”