Northumbria recognised in 2023 StudentCrowd University Awards

3rd July 2023

Northumbria University’s campus and facilities have been ranked in the top 10 across the whole of the UK in the 2023 Best Universities awards by StudentCrowd – the only awards based solely on student reviews.

StudentCrowd is an online resource which gives students an opportunity to share their unbiased opinions, providing a space to read and write reviews about their university experience, the city they are living in, their part-time employment and more.

The annual StudentCrowd Best Universities awards cover 10 categories including, Campus and Facilities, Clubs and Societies, Students’ Union, Careers Service, Value for Money and Course Content.

This year Northumbria has ranked within the top 20 in three of the categories – being named the 9^th best university in the UK for Campus and Facilities, 13^th for Job Prospects, and 18^th for its Students' Union.

The rankings are based on the analysis of more than 24,000 reviews submitted on StudentCrowd between June 2021 and May 2023, with students rating their university out of five stars in each category.

The recognition for Northumbria in the Campus and Facilities category comes following a period of significant investment by the university, with almost £300 million spent on developing its estate since 2005.

This includes outstanding facilities such as Sport Central and Student Central, and new buildings for students on architecture and computing programmes. In 2021, the Office for Students awarded £2 million to Northumbria to expand and refurbish engineering and physics laboratories. New library and digital commons facilities have also opened in recent years which are available to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Speaking about the rankings, Professor Graham Wynn, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) at Northumbria University said: “We are proud and delighted to be voted in the top 10 for University Campus and Facilities, in the StudentCrowd Awards 2023. This is an especially pleasing award as it is voted for by our own Northumbria students.

“It is our ambition to provide comprehensive, accessible services for all of our students on all of our campuses, to ensure they have the best possible platform for success in their studies and their future careers.”

All Northumbria University graduates are supported in their career journey through Northumbria’s Graduate Careers Club, run by the University’s Careers and Employment Service. In addition, the Student and Graduate Enterprise team provide support for current and former students wishing to explore start-up ideas, taking them from concept to creation, with Northumbria University consistently ranked among the top universities in the UK for graduate start-ups based on estimated turnover.

Northumbria Students’ Union has over 100 societies and a huge variety of volunteering opportunities, making it a great place to meet people and get involved in university life. Students also have a team of Sabbatical Officers within the Union who are dedicated to representing them and making improvements in the student experience, which is reflected in the University’s ranking.

Emma Collier, President of Northumbria Students’ Union, said: “Northumbria Students’ Union allows students to make university what they like. Whether that is joining a society where they make friends for life; creating their own society around something they’re interested in; seeking personal confidential advice; or even take advantage of our daily free breakfast. Our SU allows students to be students without any pressure. It lets students find the community they want to be a part of whilst at Northumbria and I think being involved in it makes university a pretty special place.”

Northumbria currently hold the 24^th position in the overall live StudentCrowd UK University League Table which ranks the top 140 institutions in the country, with an average score of 4.25 out of 5.

The University continues to climb up the national league tables, rising an impressive seven places in the Complete University Guide 2024 to be ranked 36^th in the UK. A number of Northumbria’s teaching areas also rank highly in the Complete University Guide’s subject tables, being placed in the top 10 for Forensic Science, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Information Technology and Systems, Tourism and Building and in the top 20 for Education, Nursing, Food Science, Art and Design and Manufacturing and Production Engineering.

This follows Northumbria University being named UK University of the Year by Times Higher Education in November last year.

A limited number of places are still available at Northumbria University this year for high achieving students through Clearing. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/clearing or call the Clearing Hotline on +44 (0)800 085 1085 to find out more.