Best in north-west for teaching and employment

Edge Hill University is the best for teaching in the north-west and boasts the lowest graduate unemployment according to the Sunday Times University Guide.

Students are the most satisfied in the north-west for the teaching they receive giving lecturers an 80.2% score.

In today's tough jobs market, just 6.2% of Edge Hill graduates are still looking for work six months after leaving, a rate that puts the institution firmly in the top 20 nationally for low level unemployment and top out of all north-west universities.

Vice Chancellor Dr John Cater said: "The Sunday Times University Guide 2012 provides students and their parents with an invaluable first reference point on the path to finding a university place and we're delighted that we have been ranked so highly in this year's tables.

"One of the most important factors when coming to University is the learning experience and knowing that our lecturers offer the best teaching in the region is an excellent achievement. Coupled with news that, once again, we're leading in the employability tables is also a big success given the current jobs market. Of the 125 universities assessed, we're placed 77th, up three places on last year and 16 places in two years, and this represents the University's best ever performance. We look forward to sustaining and improving our progress even further in future years."

This latest news follows the recent announcement that the University has reached the shortlist for the prestigious Times Higher Education Award for the UK's University of the Year 2011 title. It is the third time that Edge Hill has been shortlisted for University of the Year after being nominated in 2007 and 2010.

The University was also placed in the north-west's top two universities for overall satisfaction for the fifth consecutive year in the National Student Survey 2010/11. It was also awarded Grade 1 ‘outstanding' across all 33 areas in its recent OFSTED inspection; this covered all three phases of initial teacher training -  Primary & Early Years, Secondary and Post-Compulsory Education and Training.

The Sunday Times University Guide is in its 14th year of publication. With sales of more than one million and a readership of three million, it is the biggest newspaper university guide with the widest reach. Available in newsprint, on the web and on tablet, it is published on September 11th.

It contains full profiles of all universities and the leading colleges of higher education. The league table is drawn up from criteria including student satisfaction, teaching and research quality; entrance qualifications held by new students, degree results achieved student/staff ratios, graduate unemployment levels and university dropout rates.