King's wins 'University of the Year'

King’s College London, part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, has been awarded the title of ‘University of the Year 2010/11’ from The Sunday Times, one of the most prestigious and influential newspapers in the world.

The accolade, won by Oxford last year and Loughborough in 2008, is designed to recognise all-round excellence, encompassing a range of aspects of research, teaching, and the student experience.

The announcement of the award was made in The Sunday Times University Guide, which was published on 12 September 2010, and provides profiles of all the UK’s higher education institutions, and a British university league table. This is compiled using a number of criteria including student satisfaction, research quality, academic peer review, entrance qualifications held by new students, degree results achieved, student/staff ratios, dropout rates and graduate employment levels. In every one of the criteria, King's has improved its position this year, the only university to have done so.

2010 has been an exceptional year for King’s College London that has seen a 13 per cent rise in undergraduate applications and a 30 per cent rise in postgraduate applications, as well a rise in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the QS international league table of universities (to 21st position).

The College has attracted worldwide attention for a large number of pioneering research breakthroughs that embrace such different areas as detecting autism from a 15-minute brain scan and analysing the Domesday book, whilst students continued to play a large part in the College’s global reputation, winning a prestigious law Moot in Vienna, and a European Hedge Fund challenge. The College’s Extended Medical Degree programme continues to be one of the country’s most admired widening participation initiatives.

During 2010 the College also opened the world’s first Institute of Palliative Care, and a unique African Leadership Centre in Nairobi, in addition to acquiring the East Wing of Somerset House, part of which will be opened to the public for the first time as a cultural centre.

Commenting on the award, Professor Rick Trainor, Principal, said: ‘It is thrilling to be awarded the title of University of the Year, and this is a great tribute to the entire College community. National financial issues have put pressure on the College (as well as every other university) over the last 12 months, but our staff and students have remained committed to the pursuit of excellence in research, teaching and learning, and outreach. King’s has a long and distinguished history, but receiving this accolade must rank as one of its finest moments.’

Alastair McCall, Editor of The Sunday Times University Guide said: 'King's College is an outstanding institution however you judge it. It is not only a prized destination for students in the United Kingdom but a plum draw for students across the world. Teaching and research excellence are to be found everywhere. Quite rightly, its medical pedigree is to the fore, but the range of world-class expertise embraces the humanities, law and social sciences to almost as great an extent. It is very rare for an institution to improve on every measure that we take into account in our league tables - but that is what King's has done this year. It turns out high-quality graduates who get good jobs and who are able to make both a success of themselves and a contribution to society. Our award of The Sunday Times University of the Year is thoroughly deserved.'
 
More details are available at thesundaytimes.co.uk/universityguide. King's was ranked 10th overall.