Four-midable – Times Uni of the Year shortlisting is Leicester’s fourth accolade in September
The University of Leicester has completed an incredible month of accolades with the news it has been shortlisted for The Times and The Sunday Times University of The Year 2025 award.
The nomination comes hot on the heels of Leicester being crowned Daily Mail University of the Year 2025, shortlisted for the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2024 award and shooting up 14 places to 34th position in the 2025 Guardian University Guide.
The University has climbed seven places to equal 27th position in this year’s edition of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.
A key factor behind the rise was soaring rates of student satisfaction. The guide’s student experience category saw Leicester shoot up 51 places, while it also rose 40 places in the category which measures students’ feelings about teaching quality.
University of Leicester President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “The unprecedented awards and league table success we’ve enjoyed within a single month comes at a time of us also achieving outstanding results in teaching and student satisfaction.
“Leicester has been described as ‘a model university for the 21st century’ based on its academic excellence and inclusive approach. We are delighted with this further recognition which is testament to the hard work and dedication of the University community.
“Students who are joining us in September can be confident they have made the correct decision, as our student satisfaction rates can confirm.”
Leicester ranks in the top ten in five subject tables: Medicine, Archaeology and Forensic Science, Communication and Media Studies, English and History. Additionally, it rose 42 places to 44th for Business, Management and Marketing.
The shortlisting adds to Leicester’s growing achievements which include receiving an overall Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023, making it one of a small number of institutions nationally to achieve TEF Gold alongside a top 30 REF performance, indicating outstanding performance in both teaching and research.
In July, the University received the news it was ranked in the top 30 UK institutions of the National Student Survey, clinching 27th place according to analysis by Times Higher Education.
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 provides the definitive rankings for UK universities and the most comprehensive overview of higher education in Britain, making use of the latest data*. It features everything you need to know about applying to university and detailed online profiles for 134 universities covering research reputation to campus facilities, scholarships and bursaries, and nightlife.
Notes:
*The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 used 2021/22 data for entry standards, firsts and 2:1s, continuation rate and student staff ratio, inclusive of overall satisfaction for all UK universities. In consultation with the steering group, it was decided not to use this year’s Hesa Data Futures 2022/23 due to deadlines and the fact that the data was an unknown quantity and might be subject to appeals. The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 has used NSS 2023 and 2024 data, inclusive of overall satisfaction for all UK universities. New to the guide this year is a percentage score and ranking from People & Planet which assesses the environmental and ethical standards of each UK university, as well as guides on scholarships and bursaries available at each university and student wellbeing and sports facilities on campus.