University of Bolton, Greater Manchester still the highest-ranked modern university in North West in Guardian 2025 guide

The University of Bolton, Greater Manchester, remains the top modern university in the North West according to the latest Guardian newspaper guide.

It is the third highest placed 'post '92' university in England and 32nd out of 122 Higher Education institutions in the UK in the national newspaper’s annual league tables.

Bolton is the highest-ranked modern university in the region out of 14 universities.

 It is also top in Greater Manchester and second in the North West for ‘Satisfied with Teaching’. For ‘Satisfied with Feedback’, Bolton is top in the North West.

The Guardian league tables rank universities through eight different scores which form a total out of 100.

This includes what students say about their teaching, feedback and the course itself in the annual National Student Survey (NSS).

A University of Bolton, Greater Manchester, spokesperson said: “Students will rightly be delighted to see their University achieve such high rankings in The Guardian's 2025 list of the top universities in the UK.

"Our teaching and feedback are best in Greater Manchester and these are areas that are so important to our students who remain at the heart of everything we do.”

The league tables also look at class sizes and student-to-staff ratio, how much universities spend on teaching per student, as well as students’ A-level grades on entry, whether their academic performance improves at university (the value-added score) and how likely they will continue with their course.

Professor George E Holmes DL, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, Greater Manchester, said: “The hard work of everyone who works at the University of Bolton continues to pay off.

"It is clear from our position this year in key areas that we are providing excellence in teaching and student experience when compared with some of the most renowned institutions in the UK.

 “Student experience and success is our number one priority at the University of Bolton and I am proud of all the staff here who work tirelessly to achieve that.”

He added: “We are tremendously excited about our Medical School in a new £40m state-of-the-art building in the grounds of the Royal Bolton Hospital, which will undoubtedly drive up our completion and employment rates where other institutions always score more highly.

 “It will enhance the University's reputation further, training the next generation of health professionals to help the UK address its ongoing chronic shortage of staff in the NHS.”

The Guardian UK University Guide 2025 can be found at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2024/sep/07/the-guardian-university-guide-2025-the-rankings