This year’s Good University Guide is the first to feature our recently reopened Chemistry Department, and we are delighted to announce that Chemistry has achieved 9th position overall, placing it among the best in the UK. The subject has shown particular strength in the quality of teaching (with the highest rating among the top 10) and on the student experience provided (with the 2nd highest rating among the top 10).

These results follow the recent accreditation of our degree programmes by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and our success this summer in the National Student Survey (NSS), where we ranked 7th in the UK for overall student satisfaction. Since the inception of the Department in 2012, Lancaster has invested over £26 million into Chemistry.

Other Science and Technology subjects have also ranked among the best in the UK across the three major league tables this year. Notable successes in the Good University Guide include Biological Sciences (5th), Geography (8th), Environmental Science (8th), Physics (8th), and Mathematics (joint 9th). Science and Technology subjects also demonstrated particular excellence for graduate prospects, with many ranking among the top ten.

University of the Year

The University has received the Times and Sunday Times University of the Year award, and has achieved its highest rank to date, climbing three places to 6th overall. It has once again taken the top spot for Best University in the North West, an achievement it has held for over a decade, and has added Best Campus University to its honours. These noteworthy accolades sit alongside its Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award and fantastic result in the National Student Survey (NSS) for student experience.

Commenting on the decision to make Lancaster the University of the Year and Campus University of the Year, Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: "Rising to its highest ever ranking in our league table this year, Lancaster is at the top of its game. It knows the university it wants to be and as a result makes a distinctive offer to students.

"The modern interpretation of a collegiate structure, coupled with flexible degree programmes and academics committed to teaching as well as research has been recognised in consistently good outcomes in the annual National Student Survey. Students love Lancaster.

"Dynamic course content and structure, plus the opportunities many students get to work abroad, is reflected in outstanding graduate prospects once they leave. In the 19 years of our University of the Year awards, there has rarely been a more clear-cut winner."

Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark E. Smith said: “Staff and students at Lancaster have always known there is something very special about this university and I am so proud of all our achievements. Our track record of success proves excellence in teaching and research can go hand in hand, one need not detract from the other, in fact, quite the reverse.

“Anyone visiting Lancaster University would be struck by the beautiful space surrounding our campus and the friendliness of our diverse colleges, but that this is also a university with a proud international outlook, offering our students the skills and opportunities they need to flourish anywhere in the world, with a commitment to social inclusion. I’d like to thank the staff, students and the City of Lancaster for being such an important part of our success story.”