Harper Adams named ‘University of the Year’ at Whatuni Student Choice Awards

Rankings table is the only one based entirely on student opinion as London, again, ranks lowest for overall student satisfaction

(Harper Adams University via Facebook)

Harper Adams University in Shropshire has been crowned ‘University of the Year’ after a nationwide student vote.

The institution - which specialises in farming and agricultural studies - has taken over Loughborough University which held the top spot last year.

University and degree comparison site, Whatuni, collected more than 25,000 student reviews over the last six months covering ten categories, including best students’ union, best courses and lecturers, and most international.

As well as taking the award for the top category, Harper Adams also took the top spot in the ‘Job Prospects’ and ‘Student Support’ categories.

The winners of all ten categories were announced on Thursday night as part of Whatuni’s Student Choice Awards’ (WUSCA) annual gala dinner in London which was hosted by comedian and TV host, Jimmy Carr.

Top 10 best universities in 2016:

1. Harper Adams University
2. Loughborough University
3. Swansea University
4. Bangor University
5. University of Leeds
6. University of Exeter
7. Nottingham Trent University
8. University of South Wales
9. St Mary’s University, Twickenham
10. Leeds College of Art

Other top awards went to Loughborough University in Leicestershire for having the best students’ union, Swansea University for having the best courses and lecturers, and Nottingham Trent University for being the most international.

Prestigious institutions which usually take up the top spots in traditional league rankings tables failed to make it into the top of the ‘University of the Year’ list; Cambridge came out 46th, Oxford at 50th, and Imperial College London and London School of Economics (LSE) came in at 60th and 61st place respectively.

The University of Leeds was the highest-ranking Russell Group institution at fifth place, up from 14th on last year.

The WUSCA are the only university rankings which rely completely on student opinion. There is no cost for universities to enter and there is no judging panel.

All reviews collected are validated by Whatuni’s staff before going live on the site to help future students make informed choices about their higher education options.

Students give their university an overall rating of one to five. Whatuni then averages those results to create overall ratings, out of five stars, for 125 universities across the ten categories of student experiences.

Comparing the 2015 and 2016 rankings, data revealed that, for the second year in a row, overall student satisfaction has risen from 81 to 83 per cent. However, Whatuni said four critical areas of student satisfaction have seen “significant drops”: job prospects, student support, clubs and societies, and students’ unions

Another key finding to have emerged is that, for the second year in a row, London ranked the lowest for overall student satisfaction, and was the only region not to achieve an average of at least 80 per cent.

Though, reflecting on Harper Adams’ success, Simon Emmett, CEO at Whatuni.com, said the university had had a “decisive victory” having been awarded top honour in three categories, and congratulated the institution’s staff and students on providing “such a positive student experience.”

He added: “In such a changing and competitive landscape, student reviews are essential in order for any higher education institution to learn, adapt, and thrive. We’re really proud to be a part of the process for both universities and students.”

Harper Adams’ vice-chancellor, Dr David Llewellyn, said the fact the awards are based on student reviews was “immensely important” to the university. He added: “They recognise the dedication of everyone at Harper Adams in building a strong academic community that delivers a positive experience for our students.”

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