Choosing which university to attend for your undergraduate degree is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make.
There are a number of resources available to help you through this process. These include attending a recruitment event, speaking with a student ambassador and contacting the University’s student recruitment team. University league tables are also a tool which can be used to help with your decision-making.
This page explains more about university league tables, and what they mean at St George's.
What are university league tables?
University league tables are lists issued by education industry publications which provide a quick-reference comparison of universities across the UK and around the world.
Each publication uses their own unique methodology and different categories of assessment, which might include factors such as:
- how many students move on to employment or further study after graduation
- how satisfied students are with their experience
- the quality of the teaching
- the extent of research.
These league tables are a useful reference and offer a brief snapshot of the University on the particular date that they were submitted. It is important to remember that they will never be able to offer a full picture of a university, what it has to offer and what the experience of being a student there will be like, nor are they able to capture improvements happening at the time of your application.
League tables and St George's
If you are keen to review St George’s position in the league tables, you may be concerned that you don’t see us in every publication. Don’t worry, due to the University’s specialist nature, there are several league tables with size thresholds in which St George’s does not appear.
To help you interpret the most recent league tables, here’s a short summary.
The Complete University Guide
In the 2023 Complete University Guide league table, St George’s ranked first in the UK for graduate prospects. This means that the majority of St George’s students are in work or further study after completing their first degree.
The University also ranked first for the “graduate prospects on track” measure, meaning recent graduates of St George’s agree that their activity is on track with their future plans. At St George’s, our undergraduate courses are practical and vocational, they will prepare you for your chosen profession and give you the best chance at securing a job after graduation.
Overall in this guide, St George’s ranked 55 out of 130: rising 6 places from 2022.
The University also saw strong performance in Paramedic Science which ranked in the top 20 for the subject area.
Guardian University Guide
In the 2021 Guardian University Guide, St George’s appear in six subject tables but not in the main table, as the threshold requires appearance in eight subject tables.
The University rose one place for Anatomy and Physiology, nine places for Biosciences and remained static in Health Professions. In this guide, we saw a fall in ranking for Medicine which can again be primarily attributed to changes in our Student-Staff ratio, alongside a complex measure that considers the impact of our financial spend.
As a small specialist institution, focussed on impact, St George’s strives to operate efficiently within tight budgets, which can work against the University in league tables. In the past year, the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic impacted on the University’s provision of, and spend on, some on-campus services.
Our expenditure to enhance the experience of our students is targeted to achieve maximum impact. We regularly identify and undertake projects to improve the student experience, including enhancing our facilities, developing our programmes of pastoral support and ensuring feedback from students is regularly reported to the University’s Student Experience Action Group.
Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide
In the 2022 Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide St George’s sits proudly at 1st place for graduate prospects, which reflects our commitment to ensuring our graduates are prepared for the workforce. The University also ranked 14th in London and 67th overall.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
St George’s also ranked within the top 250 universities worldwide in the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, as well as in the top 25 worldwide for citations; this means that our research stands out and is shared across the academic community around the world.
You may not see St George’s across all league tables; due to its specialist nature, there are several league tables with size thresholds in which the University does not appear.
Understanding the student experience
Despite their important role in supporting students with the decision-making process, it’s important to remember that league tables can only provide a snapshot of what studying an undergraduate degree at a particular university may be like.
In order to make the most informed decision, its important to research and decide which areas are more important to you.
A crucial part of the research process is to reach out and speak to people at the university you’re interested in, to learn more first hand.
Get in touch
To better understand the student experience at St George’s, all prospective students are encouraged to get in touch with the Student Recruitment Team by emailing study@sgul.ac.uk to have questions answered.
You may also wish to attend a recruitment event or speak with a student ambassador to gain a more personal insight into what it’s like to study at the UK’s specialist health university.