Plymouth University has leapt 22 places in the most comprehensive and respected international rankings of higher education institutions.
The University is placed 278th globally in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which are trusted by governments, industry, academics and prospective students as a benchmark of higher education excellence.
It is Plymouth University’s highest ever position in the table, having broken into the top 300 for the first time in 2013, and places it among the top 40 universities in the UK and the top three in the South West. Plymouth is also the only modern institution in the region to make the new rankings, and one of just two South West universities to enjoy a rise up the table.
Plymouth University’s success in the rankings comes less than a month after it was shortlisted for two accolades in the 2014 Times Higher Education Awards, which will be presented at a ceremony in London at the end of November.
Professor David Coslett, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth University, said:
"This latest recognition from the Times Higher Education is great news, and deserved recognition for all our students and staff. Their continued efforts to excel, both individually and collectively, makes Plymouth University a special place where people are proud to say they work and study. We are a truly world-class university where academic excellence, student experience and an unrivalled location combine to create a vibrant and creative spirit where innovation and enterprise can flourish.”
The World University Rankings, powered by Thomson Reuters, are the only global tables to judge world-class universities across all of their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. They employ 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators, grouped into five areas, to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available.
For 2014-15, Plymouth University has dramatically improved its score in four of the five areas – teaching, international outlook, research and citations – while also maintaining its score for the amount of industry income generated.
Professor Coslett added:
“Nobody should underestimate the level of this achievement, or the hard work it has taken for us to reach this point. To be ranked among the top one per cent of the world’s universities confirms our status as a global higher education institution. It is something I believe everyone connected with Plymouth University should celebrate, and it demonstrates our key role as an anchor institution for Plymouth and the whole of the South West.”