The University of Southampton is officially one of the world’s leading universities – after being named in the top 100 of a major international league table. The Times Higher Education’s world university rankings placed the south coast institution in 97th position out of nearly 2,000 others.
The table is regarded as one of the world’s important higher education measurements, scoring institutions on their teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Southampton Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark E. Smith said he was delighted the university was competing with the very best in the world. He added: “Our improvement to a top 100 ranking is an indication of our University’s outstanding quality, research excellence, and exceptional teaching.
“It is a real mark of quality that validates our hard work to empower our students who come here from across the world and shape our society for the better. It is a testament to the quality, dedication and hard work of colleagues across the University for which I am very grateful”. It is the first time for well over a decade that the University of Southampton has been named in the top 100 of the Times Higher rankings, now on its 20th edition.
The Russell Group institution is home to around 25,000 students, from 130 countries, and its alumni include Nobel laureates, world leaders, and entrepreneurs. The top-100 ranking caps off a remarkable few months for Southampton, which was also named in the upper 20 of both the Guardian and Sunday Times league tables.
Its Students’ Union president Ed Brooker said: “It is fantastic to see the University of Southampton listed among the top 100 global universities, and demonstrates our dedication to excellence in research and education. I’m so pleased there is something to show for the commitment of all our people – students and staff”.
