ABERYSTWYTH University has improved four places from last year in the influential The Times and The Sunday Times’ Good University Guide 2022, moving up in to the top 40 in the UK.

The university now ranks 38 out of 135 universities across the UK an improvement upon last year’s rank of 42.

It is ranked second in Wales, while the University of Trinity Saint David - which has a campus in Lampeter - also saw improvement, jumping from 101st place last year to 83rd in the 2022 guide.

The ranking is based on a mixture of criteria, including satisfaction with teaching quality, the student experience and degree completion rates.

The news follows the university’s strong performance in the National Student Survey in July, where it scored the highest in Wales for both Teaching Excellence and Student Satisfaction.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, said the ranking was “fantastic” and showed the “strong progress” the university is making.

“This has been a difficult 18 months for both staff and students alike but our teaching staff has performed exceptionally amid these circumstances,” Prof Treasure said.

“We moved quickly to introduce innovative and flexible teaching methods when the pandemic first hit and prioritised the students’ needs in our decision making.

I was very proud to see them given a quality of teaching akin to that of when we were in more normal circumstances.

“Our performance in the Good University Guide 2022 shows us how keen staff were to never let the high standards we hold to drop at any time and I cannot thank them enough.”

Professor Tim Woods, Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning, Teaching and Student Experience, said he was “thrilled to see our achievements reflected in our improved position.”

“Aberystwyth University continues to excel for both its teaching excellence and high levels of student satisfaction, so it is no surprise to see us confirmed among the Top 40 Universities in the UK,” he said. “This has been made possible through the hard work of our academic staff and they deserve a great deal of credit for our success.

“However, we are not resting on our laurels and are instead working hard to further improve the student experience.”

The list is based on an analysis of student satisfaction with teaching quality and their student experience, entry standards, research quality, and graduate prospects.