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Nottingham Trent University named The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named Modern University of the Year by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 logo
The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023

The Modern University of the Year for 2023 was awarded to NTU primarily based on its continuous investment in teaching quality, student experience and graduate prospects. This also accounted for its 28-place rise in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 league table to 42nd.  

Zoe Thomas, author of The Sunday Times Good University Guide said:

“Nottingham Trent University has risen up the rankings substantially this year, increasing its position on almost every measure. Its top-performing results are in teaching quality (26th nationally) and the student experience (where it ranks in the top 20) - both measures derived from our analysis of the 2022 National Student Survey. The university’s high rates of student satisfaction are all the more impressive given the challenges faced by universities and students as the world emerged from the pandemic. For graduate prospects Nottingham Trent has also improved its ranking (by 19 places), with the latest figures showing that 71 per cent of the university’s graduates were in high-skilled jobs or further study 15 months after finishing their degrees.

“Research has not been neglected amid the focus on the student experience. Significant improvements since the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) have taken NTU 26 places up our research ranking and close to the top 50. The latest REF 2021 assessments rated 83% of NTU’s work either world-leading or internationally excellent.

“The university is also making space for its growing student population with the addition of modern developments such as the new Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF).”

This prestigious award concludes a hugely successful academic year which saw NTU strengthen its status as a world-leading research institution in the REF 2021 results, as well as receiving the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – the UK’s most prestigious accolade for research activities. Most recently, NTU achieved an above the sector average in the National Student Satisfaction Survey, with 81% overall student satisfaction score in 2022.

Professor Edward Peck, CBE, NTU Vice-Chancellor and President commented:

“We are immensely proud to learn that once again NTU has been named Modern University of the Year by The Times and The Sunday Times. We won this Award for the first time in 2018. We have a unique track record in being a university of the year in four of the last six years.*

“This honour is credit to colleagues’ hard work over the past few years, resulting in a number of awards and achievements which have been recognised by The Times and The Sunday Times.

“NTU prides itself on providing a student experience which is second to none, whether that is through the teaching they receive, by being part of our community or creating opportunities for our graduates to succeed in the future.”

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    *About Nottingham Trent University

    Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queens Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.

    The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

    NTU was ranked second best university in the UK in the Uni Compare Top 100 rankings (2021/2022). It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).

    NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with nearly 39,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

    Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities.

    NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge.

    NTU is ranked 4th most sustainable university in the world and 1st in the UK for sustainability-themed Education and Research in the 2021 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).

Published on 20 September 2022
  • Category: Press office