Excellent teaching and research pushes Cardiff up rankings

Cardiff University has moved up three places in this year's Guardian University League Table 2015. The University performed well in several areas, including student to staff ratio and course satisfaction.

Cardiff moved from 29th place in 2014 to 26th in 2015 and is now 14 places above its 40th spot in 2013.

Cardiff's best performing measures were 'spend per student' (11th) and staff to student ratio (12th).

Spending per Student improved 14 places from 25th to 11th, with a score of 7.5 out of 10, compared to the Russell Group average of 6.65.

The student to staff ratio measure was 13, an improvement from 14.2 in the 2014 guide and better than the Russell Group average of 14.

Cardiff outshone the Russell Group average for course satisfaction, scoring 89.1% compared to the Russell Group average of 88%. Cardiff's rank for this measure is 17, 14 places higher than 2014.

Cardiff also ranked 16th for career prospects with a score of 77.9%, above the Russell Group average.

Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Elizabeth Treasure, said: "We are delighted with our progress in the rankings, continuing the success celebrated in the Complete University Guide published earlier this year. The authors of The Guardian University Guide point out that the best way to improve in the overall table is to tackle areas of weakness. That's exactly what we're trying to do at Cardiff, and we've seen better scores this year in several key areas including spend per student and course satisfaction. Our success in the 2015 Guardian league table will hopefully be further reflected in The Times and Sunday Times rankings later this year."

Cardiff was ranked in the top 10 providers for 9 subjects, and the top 20 for 18 subjects, ranking in the top fifth of institutions in 10 subject areas.

Subjects that had the highest rises were Education (up 24 places) and Modern Languages and Linguistics (up 17 places).

The Guardian University Guide 2015 notes Cardiff University 'has an excellent reputation for the quality of its teaching and research. Almost 60% of its research is ranked as world-leading and it is a member of the Russell group of leading research universities. There are more than 28,000 students, including more than 3,000 from over 100 countries outside the UK, helping to create a vibrant, cosmopolitan community.'

The Guide adds: 'The graduate employment record is strong, with about 94% of Cardiff graduates entering employment or professional training/postgraduate study shortly after graduating. The university has approximately 300 undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses that are accredited by more than 50 professional bodies.'