"We are delighted to see the results this survey", says Osbert Lancaster, CHE's executive director. "This reinforces our view that our partnership with Strathclyde University will offer real benefits to students."

A GENERATION ago, it fought its way out of the shadow of its older neighbour. Now Strathclyde University has been voted top in a UK-wide survey of students across the higher education sector.

The study found that Strathclyde's first-year students perceived the Glasgow-based university to be a strong performer in terms of employment prospects and course content.

They also highlighted the quality of the teaching, as well as prizing the "reasonable" cost of living and its welcoming and accessible location.

Strathclyde won the best overall category because it had more top 20 mentions than any other institution across 10 categories and was in the top 10 in four of them.
St Andrews was the second-placed university in Scotland at eighth in the table, while Dundee came 13th and Edinburgh was 21st. Glasgow University did not feature in the top 20.

In coming top, Strathclyde beat off opposition from University College London, which came second, King's College London, which came third, and Oxford, which came fourth. Cambridge was ninth.

Professor Andrew Hamnett, principal of Strathclyde, said he was delighted with the survey, which he claimed highlighted the hard work the university had done to improve the student experience.

"The key to our success is the fact that we make the campus familiar to students before they even apply, through open days, summer schools and the summer academy," he said.

"As soon as they arrive, students can rely on the help of their departments, the careers service and our student advisory service. We offer excellent teaching and an innovative approach to learning, but we ensure our students find it easy to come here and even easier to stay."

Professor Hamnett went on to pay tribute to the impact of the regeneration of Glasgow in the past decade, saying: "I am happy to acknowledge that this is recognition of our city, as well as our university. The students clearly recognise and value the warm welcome they receive, the good transport and everything that makes Glasgow such a vibrant city."

Sareta Puri, a fourth-year accountancy student from Edinburgh, was also quick to praise the university. "Strathclyde has one of the best business schools in the UK and that was my first choice," she said.

She also thought the university had done a lot to help her. "Right from the start, the university took a lot of interest in the students and made sure we knew what was going on."

The Times Higher Education Supplement asked 10,000 first-year undergraduates to reflect on their experiences during the application process. Students were asked to rate their university's approach to admissions, location and campus facilities.

They were also asked their views on the university's academic reputation, the quality of the course and teaching and their perception of its position in league tables.

The survey also checked whether institutions had been recommended, whether students
perceived it to have good transport links, a good open day, and helpful staff.
 
Campus elite
1 Strathclyde
2 University College London
3 King's College London
4 Oxford
5 Cardiff
6 Imperial College London
7 Hull
8 St Andrews
9 Cambridge
10 London School of Economics
11 Bristol and Warwick
13 Bangor
14 Dundee
15 Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
16 Durham
17 Manchester and Queen's, Belfast
19 Aston and Aberystwyth
21 Edinburgh

from the The Herald newspaper, 17 June 2006