Praise for University of Southampton staff and students as physiotherapy course gains top place

The Guardian’s Guide ... is based on education-related measures and therefore underlines our commitment and dedication to delivering quality education and a positive experience for all our students [Mark E Smith]

Two subjects were ranked first: physiotherapy and electronic and electrical engineering. Other subjects, including general nursing (which gained fourth place) and health professions also gained an improved status.

Mark E Smith, president and vice-chancellor, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted our university has risen in the Guardian University Guide to number 16, retaining our position in the top 20 for the second year running.’

Professor Smith added: ‘The Guardian’s Guide is a particularly prestigious endorsement as it is based on education-related measures and therefore underlines our commitment and dedication to delivering quality education and a positive experience for all our students. I’d like to thank everyone across our university community who has contributed to this success.'

Second and third places

The University of Bradford  took second place, scoring particularly highly in the ‘value added’ category. The Yorkshire-based institution also reported that all its students were employed 15 months after completing their studies.

Other highlights

Almost all (94.4 per cent) of Glasgow Caledonian University’s physiotherapy students expressed satisfaction with their course – a high score that was pipped by Robert Gordon University students, 96.8 per cent of whom said they were satisfied. Glasgow Caledonian gained third place in the Guardian list, while Robert Gordon took 18^th position.

In Wales, Cardiff University’s course was given seventh place while in Northern Ireland Ulster University attained 21^st position. Some universities' physiotherapy courses were not included in the list of 39 that received ratings.

The Guardian University Guide uses nine measures of performance, covering all stages of the student life cycle including entry standards, student satisfaction, value added and career prospects.