Freshers 2023: The University of Portsmouth names among top 10 South East institutions in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide is an annual list which aims to inform prospective students and their families by comparing “everything from satisfaction with teaching quality and the student experience through to degree completion rates and graduate employment prospects.”

Out of 134 universities profiled, this year’s list of the best universities in the South East region places The University of Portsmouth at number 10, beaten by Oxford Brookes University at number nine.

In the national ranking for 2024 – released today - Portsmouth was rated 65th.

According to the Good University Guide, these are the top 10 universities in the South East:

1. University of Oxford
2. University of Southampton
3. University of Surrey
4. University of Reading
5. University of Sussex
6. University of Kent
7. University of Chichester
8. University of Buckingham
9. Oxford Brookes University
10. University of Portsmouth

Helen Davies, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “The higher education landscape has never been tougher. It is more competitive to get a place at many of our top institutions; the cost of attending university has soared, leaving graduates with extraordinary debt; and in many cases campus life still bears the scars of the pandemic. Meanwhile lecturers are on strike and the marking crisis is a running scandal.

“It means any prospective student, parent or carer needs to think hard about whether university is the right choice, and then where to study and what subject. It’s where this guide — our 30th edition — is here to help. Our online version has so much more on how the universities compare subject by subject, a guide on campus life, and what scholarships and bursaries may be on offer.

“We are here to champion the ambitious work of our first-class universities, and the aspirations of any student of any age who wants to keep on learning.”

New to the guide this year is a ranking from People and Planet that 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.

You can find a fully searchable version of the guide here.