It’s official, we beat Durham and Leeds is now the best university in the north!

The University of Leeds has been labelled a 'Northern Star' by The Sunday Times, after it ranked 11th nationally in The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019. This officially crowns Leeds as the top university in the region.

Despite falling one place from last year, the ranking still stands out against other universities in the north, with The University of York coming out 22nd nationally, 11 places below Leeds, Sheffield at 25th, and rival Leeds Beckett taking 124th place.

The guide takes a number of factors into account, many of which are taken from National Student Survey. This includes 'Teaching Excellence' where Leeds scored 81.3%, 'Student Experience' at 81.6%, and 'Graduate Prospects', scoring 81.2%. This is the first time since 2016 that enough students participated in the National Student Satisfaction survey in order for the results to be published, after the survey was boycotted last year.

Alastair McCall, Editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, recognised Leeds' success, saying: "Leeds is one of the academic powerhouses of British higher education. Students are flocking to its doors, and it is not hard to see why. Heavy investment in the campus and student experience translate into good levels of student satisfaction, high completion rates and more firsts and 2:1s than in virtually any other university".

The full guide will be available this weekend in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 supplement.