UNIVERSITIES in York have been ranked as the final university league table of the year has been released.

There are three main university league tables - The Guardian, Complete University Guide, and The Times - which rank the country's universities annually.

The last of the three rankings, by The Times, was released on Friday (September 20) and ranks universities on nine factors including student satisfaction with teaching quality and their wider student experience, research quality, graduate prospects, entrance qualifications held by new students, degree results achieved, student/staff ratios, service and facilities spend, and degree completion rates.

In The Times rankings, the University of York was ranked 17 and York St John University came in at 93.

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York St John University fell from 78 to 96 in this year’s Guardian ranking, but the institution celebrated a number of positives – maintaining its score on the Complete University Guide and in the The  Times league table.

It also celebrating the title of University of the Year for Social Inclusion in the Times and Sunday Times Guide - a title given to York St John in recognition of its commitment to empowering students from all backgrounds with the opportunity to study and thrive in higher education. 

One example of this is through its Access and Participation Plan, which improves quality of opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and through its work with various local intuitions and businesses to offer wider social benefit. 

Professor Karen Bryan, Vice Chancellor of York St John University, said: “All of us at York St John University are extremely proud of our work to make university education more inclusive. We believe students from all backgrounds deserve equal access to all the opportunities that higher education offers.

“With the right support, students who are underrepresented in universities are often the most resilient, determined and tenacious graduates and go on to achieve excellent outcomes.   

“This accolade reflects how we support students to achieve their full potential, by providing guidance, fair access, practical support and financial scholarships to reduce the barriers that some students face.

“I am deeply grateful to all my colleagues at York St John for their work behind the scenes that has led to York St John being recognised as The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year for Social Inclusion.”

The situation was similar for the University of York, which moved down six places from 19 to 26 on the Guardian League Table but maintained its spot on the Complete University Guide and The Times ranking.

Commenting on The Times & Sunday Times ranking, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York Professor Charlie Jeffery said: “As we start the new academic year, this positive news highlights the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our staff.

“Their unwavering commitment to providing gold-standard teaching in addition to carrying out world-leading research gives our highly-talented and diverse community of students the knowledge and opportunities to grow and succeed. 

“My thanks go to all our staff as we welcome new and returning students for the start of the new semester. I look forward to celebrating the achievements of our community over the coming year. I have no doubt they will continue to inspire us and make a positive impact locally, nationally, and globally.”

Hull York Medical School, a joint venture between the University of York and University of Hull, was perhaps the biggest jump of the year – leaping from 15th to fifth place on the Guardian league table of Medical School rankings.

Professor Lucy Ambrose, Medicine Programme Director at Hull York Medical School, said: "These results reflect the hard work and dedication of staff across the school and their commitment to our students – ensuring that they receive outstanding teaching and learning and support which enables them to realise their potential as exceptional doctors.

“This year we celebrated our 20th anniversary, and as we look forward to the next phase of our development, providing a high-quality student experience will continue to be at the heart of everything we do."