The Guardian and The Independent have published their University league tables for 2010, revealing mixed results for Cardiff University’s performance.
The Independent’s tables suggest that Cardiff has moved up in the rankings, while The Guardian’s figures show an 11 place slide since last year.
Both tables place Cardiff beneath most of the other Russell Group Universities, such as Warwick, Bristol and Manchester.
The major difference between the two tables is that The Independent’s table takes into account a research assessment, while The Guardian’s does not.
The ranking method used for The Guardian weights the student-staff ratio (17%) above the categories of teaching quality, which is weighted at 10% and assessment feedback, weighted at 5%.
Under the teaching and assessment categories, the number shown is the percentage of final year students who are satisfied or very satisfied.
Despite the overall low ranking in The Guardian’s table, the results show that 86% of students overall are satisfied with teaching, whilst 53% are satisfied with feedback.
Cardiff was awarded with a Guardian score of 64.3 out of 100, which is derived from score given in the other seven categories. The Independent gave it a similar score of 645 out of 1000.
Alongside the general university rankings, there is a full list of subject rankings.
Figures here show that Cardiff is performing excellently in some areas, ranked in The Guardian’s top 20 for Architecture, Dentistry, Civil Engineering, Pharmacy and Psychology.
A pertinent area of disappointment, however, arises from Cardiff’s ranking for Medicine.
The Independent’s table shows that Cardiff Medicine students still have the lowest student satisfaction rating in the country. However, Cardiff’s research rating appears to have improved its overall score, placing Cardiff at 21 out of 31 institutions overall.
The Guardian’s rankings, which do not take into account research, placed Cardiff at 29 out of 30 positions.
In these rankings Cardiff had the lowest percentage of satisfied students in the feedback category (19%), and the second lowest percentage for the number of students satisfied with teaching (76%)
In response to the results, Tom Wright, President of MedSoc, said: “It’s extremely disappointing that Cardiff has come so low in the rankings.
“However, both student feedback and overall satisfaction have been addressed in a big way by the staff this year, and I think it’s important to realise that it’s going to take a while before statistics accurately reflect this.”
Despite the results, Tom was very positive about the Cardiff experience, telling gair rhydd: “I think I can speak for almost all of my friends and colleagues when I say I wouldn’t want to study Medicine anywhere else. I love Cardiff, and I personally feel like I am getting a good medical education.”
