Our highest ever ranking in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide

We’re proud of our Essex Spirit – so it’s no surprise it has played a key role in us securing our highest ranking of 22nd in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018.

If that wasn’t enough, we’re also shortlisted for the Guide’s prestigious title University of the Year.

The Good University Guide provides the definitive rankings for UK universities and the most comprehensive overview of higher education in Britain.

Why the Guide ranked us so highly

We performed strongly in many of the Good University Guide’s key measures including overall student experience and we also boast the fourth highest facilities spend per student in the country. 

As for life after University, the significant rise in the number of our students who go on to professional jobs or graduate-level study also saw our graduate prospects go up 6.2% on last year.

We were ranked in the top 10 nationally for politics, American studies, criminology, history of art, philosophy and drama, dance and cinematics. We were ranked in the top 25 for sport science, electronic engineering, economics, linguistics, maths and sociology.

"There is a new spirit around the university"

The Good University Guide Editor Alastair McCall said: "A first-ever shortlisting for our University of the Year award comes as Essex climbs to its highest ranking in our league table. There is a new spirit around the university as it undergoes significant expansion.

"It has embraced its radical past with the marketing genius idea of welcoming ‘rebels with a cause’ backed up by a concerted effort to improve the student experience. Spending per head of student is currently the fourth highest in the UK as much of the iconic 1960s fabric of the university gets a makeover. This translates into a student experience rated within the top 30 in the country.

"Essex has targeted a consistent ranking in the UK top 25 as one of its benchmark measures of performance. We see no reason to doubt the likelihood of that coming to pass."

"We are growing, but we have not lost focus of who we are and where we have come from"

Our Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony Forster said: “Our excellent performance in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 reflects our success as a dual intensive university, equally committed to excellence in education and research.

“With record numbers of students applying to Essex, a £200million programme of improvements to teaching facilities, informal student spaces, new sporting facilities and new student accommodation and the largest expansion of academic staff in the history of the University, we are proud that our achievements have been recognised in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018.

“We are growing, but we have not lost focus of who we are and where we have come from. We are proud of our roots and our mission and values remain unchanged from when we first opened our doors to students in 1964."

"A true testament to Essex putting students at the centre of everything"

President of our Students' Union, Zoe Garshong, said: “It’s fantastic to see Essex getting the recognition it absolutely deserves, entering the Top 25 universities nationally. This is a true testament to Essex putting students at the centre of everything it does and, combining this with our position as a Top 10 Students’ Union nationally, demonstrates the amazing experience we give students at Essex both as a University and Students’ Union.

“The excellent relationship we have built with the University is a clear example of one of the many ways that students are able to shape the university while studying here, and we will continue to work to benefit all Essex students.”

Essex was rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017 and is in the top 20 for research excellence in the Research Excellence Framework 2014. For the past five years we have been in the top 15 in England for student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2017).