The University of Sheffield ranked one of the best universities for teaching in Europe

The University of Sheffield was named 11th out of 250 institutions across eight European countries in the new rankings, underlying the university's reputation for outstanding teaching.

The new rankings from The Times Higher Education are the first international ranking to measure the quality of teaching across the world. The rankings, which places the University of Sheffield joint ninth in the UK, draw on data from the European Student Survey. The survey examines a range of key issues including students’ engagement with their studies, their interaction with teachers, the quality of services at the institution and their opportunities to develop skills which help prepare them for a career after university.

The results were warmly welcomed by Vice-President for Education, Professor Wyn Morgan and President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Keith Burnett, who said:

"I am genuinely delighted to see the commitment of extraordinary teachers and colleagues at Sheffield acknowledged in this significant international review of teaching quality in universities. This wonderful result reflects not only dedicated teaching but the way staff work with students to challenge and inspire, listening to their concerns and seeking new ways to connect what they are learning to the challenges they will face after graduation.

Students at Sheffield

"Good teaching is not a product. It takes great effort on the part of teacher and student, the latest learning resources, technologies, facilities and sometimes intensive support. The results though are felt throughout the lives of our students and I am never more proud than when graduates around the world speak with pride and affection about those who taught them, challenged them and gave them the tools they took into their careers."

According to The Times Higher Education, the new Teaching Ranking assesses the student teaching and learning environment and student outcomes, and was designed to answer the questions that matter most to students and their families when making one of the most important decisions of their lives – who to trust with their education.

Phil Baty, Editorial Director of global rankings at Times Higher Education, added: “While teaching is perhaps the single most important mission of any university, no other international ranking focuses entirely on teaching and learning, placing student needs at its very heart. This initiative is an important world first, offering a much-needed fresh perspective on excellence in higher education. The University of Sheffield does particularly well in our ‘outcomes’ score, for successful student progress - but it also does very well in our student engagement survey, demonstrating that its students feel stretched, challenged and stimulated by their courses.”

The ranking includes universities in countries that are a full member of both the European Higher Education Area and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and are classified as a “developed economy” by the United Nations. Building on the success of the THE US Student Survey, which has been running for three years, the inaugural European Student survey captured detailed responses from 30,000 students in more than 10 European countries. The survey also covers a wide range of core questions, focused not on student satisfaction, but on their engagement with learning, and how much they are stretched and challenged in the classroom.

The full results were announced at the Times Higher Education Teaching Excellence Summit.

In June, The University of Sheffield was ranked as one of the best universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2019, strengthening its position as a leading global university for teaching and research. The results placed the University as the 13th best institution in the UK and 75th in the world, a rise from last year’s placing of 82nd. These results position it as the number one University in Yorkshire and Humber and among the top 7.5 per cent of all the universities in the QS World University Rankings.

The University of Sheffield also recently celebrated success in The Guardian University Guide 2019 after subjects from across the institution were ranked among the UK’s best for courses. Earlier in the year, the University of Sheffield Students' Union was voted top nationally for the tenth consecutive year by the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018.

Our University ranked in the top 50 most international universities in the world

We have been named as one of the 'most international' universities by The Times Higher Education.

The 2018 league table of the world’s most international universities celebrates institutions that have an outstanding international reputation, in turn helping to attract the very highest calibre of staff and students. The University of Sheffield is ranked 42nd out of the 800 leading universities worldwide. The rankings consider the "international outlook" of institutions, including levels of international staff, students and research co-authors, as well as universities' international reputations.

A place in the highly-regarded top 50 - which also includes Oxford, Cambridge and the leading universities in the U.S and Asia - marks a significant increase in Sheffield’s international reputation ranking in 2018. A key factor in this success has been the concerted effort at building overseas partnerships with the world's top universities and industry, efforts which open opportunities for staff and student exchange, research collaboration and inward investment in the local economy.

 
Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Keith Burnett – who has personally led the University's focus on global reputation and strategic partnerships, in particular in China – said: "The University of Sheffield has always been internationally minded but recently we have focused even more on the partnerships we know are crucial not only to our research but which will also create opportunities for our students and our region. As a result, the university is now working with four of the top five universities in China and our industrial partnerships are highly regarded around the world, with the AMRC also active in the U.S., China and South Korea.

"I am also deeply proud that The University of Sheffield is a global university with over 140 nationalities represented on campus and that our city has always made clear that staff and students from around the world are welcome. We know these students and staff make a huge contribution to academic life, knowledge and our economic growth as a nation as well as working in our local hospitals as trainee doctors, carrying out invaluable research into diseases like cancer and motor neurone disease, and also volunteering for charities."
Phil Baty, Editor at Times Higher Education, said: “The best universities in the world live or die by their ability to attract the brightest talent from all across the world - students, academics, researchers and managers. I believe that a university simply cannot be world class without a global outlook, a global network and a global pool of talent.”