Edge Hill climbs in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026
Edge Hill University has continued to build on its success in the major UK league table, jumping up 21 places from last year to 63rd.
The University achieved huge success for teaching quality and student experience, climbing an impressive 87 places in each category, with several subjects also ranked in the top 5th for these attributes.
For teaching quality:
- Accounting and finance
- Business, management and marketing
- Criminology
- Food science
- Law
- Sociology
For student experience:
- Accounting and Finance
- Business, management and marketing
- Criminology
- Education
- Food Science
- Law
- Social Policy
- Sociology
The rankings underscore Edge Hill University’s academic excellence and its dedicated commitment to providing students with the best possible learning experience.
Find out more about studying at Edge Hill University or visit the next Open Day on Saturday 18 October.
Recognition in Lancashire Growth Plan 2025-2035 for pioneering sustainable greenhouse farming
Edge Hill University has been named a key partner in the newly unveiled Lancashire Growth Plan 2025–2035, recognised for its pioneering role in sustainable greenhouse farming.
The University’s Greenhouse Innovation Consortium (GIC), led by Dr Sven Batke, is highlighted as a cornerstone project driving the county’s ambition for green growth and food security.
The Growth Plan, developed by the Lancashire Combined County Authority and Lancashire County Council, outlines a £20 billion investment strategy to stimulate innovation, infrastructure, and employment across five key sectors, including national security, clean growth and advanced manufacturing.
Dr Batke said the plan “will strengthen the agri-food sector, support food security and boost rural economic growth.”
Christina Blakey, Edge Hill’s Director of Knowledge Exchange, added that the University’s inclusion “recognises the power of collaboration between academia, industry and local government.”
Edge Hill’s involvement solidifies Lancashire’s ambitions to become a UK leader in sustainable innovation and agri-tech development.
Researchers publish vital resource for health care services
Researchers Dr Julie Feather and Professor Axel Kaehne of the Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit have edited a first-of-its-kind comprehensive handbook for the healthcare field.
The Handbook of Health Services Evaluation: Theories, Methods and Innovative Practices is designed to help assess the quality and effectiveness of health services across the UK and internationally, bringing together the expertise of more than 70 international contributors.
Dr Feather, senior research fellow and co-editor of the handbook, said: “Health service evaluations are vital to maintaining public trust and accountability in healthcare. This handbook positions evaluators at the heart of that mission, providing the tools and insight needed to ensure services truly meet the needs of the people they exist to serve.”
Professor Axel Kaehne, senior research fellow, added: “It brings together leading thinkers and practitioners to showcase innovative, theory-driven and practice-ready approaches that are reshaping how we understand and improve healthcare delivery and point the way towards more responsive, evidence-informed care.”
The handbook includes 30 chapters which cover a range of topics including: Core foundations and guiding principles, comprehensive coverage of theoretical, philosophical and ethical underpinnings of health services evaluation.
Professor Judith Smith, co-director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research BRACE Rapid Evaluation Centre, University of Birmingham, described the book as a “vital resource”.
October 17, 2025
