Aylesbury Vale institution shortlisted for University of the Year by prestigious ranking guide

An Aylesbury Vale institution was shortlisted for the University of the Year Award selected by a respected ranking committee.

As part of their bumper university guide The Times and Sunday Times names one institution the best in the UK.

This year, the University of Buckingham was among the shortlisted finalists for the gong.

Ultimately the accolade was given to University College London, with the University of Exeter named as the runner-up.

The University of Buckingham was one of eight other finalists for the prestigious title.

Overall, the University of Buckingham was named as the joint 56th best in the UK and eighth best in the South East region.

Buckinghamshire New University, which has campuses in High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Great Missenden, and Uxbridge, finished 17th in the South East and 127th overall.

Each year the national publications release a combined rating list for each university in the UK. This is based not solely on grades and entry standards, but also student satisfaction, and additional research.

Teaching quality at the University of Buckingham received a 75.5% approval rating, good for joint 60th overall, student experience was at 71.3% and joint 74th overall.

Graduate prospects was 19th out of all universities, 80.9% of students receive 2:1s or higher, and it has a 92.6% continuation rate.

The Buckingham-based university is in the top 20 when it comes to the proportion of graduates in highly skilled work or further study within 15 months. Its recovery to 19th place follows a fall from sixth to joint 33rd in 2022.

Analysis from the newspapers suggested the shift could be the result of a micro-internship scheme that connects students with industry partners to complete short, paid, flexible projects.

Full analysis of every UK university can be found online here.

University of Oxford is the number one university in the South East, according to The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. It ranks 2nd nationally, with the University of St Andrews displacing Oxford and Cambridge off the top spot for the second time in the guide’s 30 year history.

The Times and Sunday Times have analysed further trends on which degrees lead most quickly to top paying jobs, which ones lead the way for diversity, and other key issues in their online coverage.