In the Guide, Swansea remains a top Welsh institution after climbing one place to 44^th in the UK and is one of only three universities in Wales improving on last year’s position. This new rank moves Swansea to within eight places of Cardiff University and over 21 places above the next ranked Welsh university.

The league table is based on ten measures analysed across 129 institutions: student satisfaction, research quality, research intensity, entry standards, student-staff ratio, spending on academic services, spending on student facilities, good honours degrees achieved, graduate prospects and completion. 

Swansea University remains the top University in Wales for graduate prospects, ranked 27^th in the UK with 80% of its graduates securing graduate level employment or pursing further study. The University has also seen an improvement in the proportion of students obtaining Good Honours (achieving a first or 2:1 degree) now up to 78% and ranked 36^th in the UK.

In separate listings covering 70 subjects, Swansea features in the top 10 for four of the 40 subjects it teaches:

• Celtic Studies is up 6 places to 2^nd.
• Complementary Medicine, taught as part of Osteopathy, is ranked 1st in the UK. 
• Medicine improved by three places and is now ranked 3^rd in the UK alongside Oxford (1^st) and Cambridge (2^nd).
• Medical Technology holds a top 10 position of 7^th.

Another eight subjects appear in the UK top 20:

• Sports Science (11^th)
• Materials Technology (11^th)
• Social Policy (12^th)
• Social Work (12^th)
• Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering (13^th)
• American Studies (14^th)
• Chemical Engineering (17^th)
• Marketing (19^th)

A further 13 subjects are ranked between 21^st and 30^th.  Making strides up the table is Sociology moving 13 places up to 47^th and Psychology now ranked 24^th from 30^th last year. 

This excellent news follows a series of recent success for Swansea University, which include: being shortlisted in six categories in the 2017 Whatuni? Student Choice Awards, including University of the Year for the fifth consecutive year; becoming the top university in Wales in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017 league table – as well as winning the inaugural Welsh University of the Year title.

In March, Swansea’s Engineering disciplines continued to be ranked among the world’s elite by higher education data specialists QS in the World University Rankings by Subject 2017. Civil and Structural Engineering, and Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering retained their top 200 ranking, whilst Chemical Engineering joined the world’s top 300. Mathematics was again ranked in the global league tables, and was joined by three other subjects – Law, Medicine, and Physics.

Welcoming the news, Professor Hilary Lappin-Scott, Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and External Recognition), said: “We are delighted to see Swansea continuing to climb the Complete University League Table now narrowing the gap with Cardiff to just 8 places. This is a clear indication that Wales has two top-class universities similarly ranked in terms of quality and excellence. Our continued success in this table and other UK and international league tables is evidence of our improved performance and rapidly growing reputation of providing top quality teaching, research, student satisfaction and graduate jobs”.   

Simon Emmett, Chief Executive Officer of the Hotcourses Group, which acquired TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk in October 2015, added: “The rankings provided by TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk are widely respected and cited both at home and, importantly, overseas.

"The rankings are well known for their editorial integrity and independence, key qualities which we know will remain under the continued guidance of Dr Bernard Kingston. It is a pleasure to work with him and his expert team, to whom I offer my warmest congratulations on this latest release.

“The CUG league tables increasingly enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the very different Whatuni Student Choice Awards. Both exist to help students make one of the most important decisions of their lives – the right choice of subject and the right university for them”. 

View the The Complete University Guide League Table here.