Imperial named University of the Year by Guardian University Guide

Students walking through Dangoor Plaza on Imperial's South Kensington campus.

Imperial College London has been named The Guardian’s University of the Year.

The College, which has risen to fifth place in the newspaper’s overall rankings, was commended for its strong performance with graduates’ career prospects and for having the highest levels of student satisfaction for teaching in England.

More than 94% of students in recent years have found graduate-level positions within 15 months of earning their degrees – the highest level in the league table.

"Innovation and enterprise are really part of the DNA [of Imperial], they’re part of what attracts the students." Professor Hugh Brady President of Imperial College London

Speaking to The Guardian, Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “Innovation and enterprise are really part of the DNA, they’re part of what attracts the students.

“The atmosphere is different: impact, innovation, entrepreneurship just ooze out of the institution.”

Professor Brady also suggested that there was now a deeper appreciation in society of the value of science, engineering and medicine, adding: “You can really argue that Imperial has never been more important to the country.”

A graphic for the Guardian's University Guide 2023 — Credit: The Guardian

In addition to its strong reputation for encouraging entrepreneurship, through facilities such as the Enterprise Lab and Hackspace, the College has been praised for its multi-disciplinary approach to research and teaching.

The accolade comes after Imperial was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in The Times’ Good University Guide 2023.

It also follows a string of successes for the College over the past 12 months:

In November, Imperial was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in recognition of its pioneering work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May, results from the Research Excellence Framework (REF) showed that Imperial was top in the UK overall for research – with a greater proportion of 4* “world-leading” research than any other university.
In June, a league table published by the QS World University Rankings showed Imperial was ranked sixth in the world for 2023 – putting it third in the UK and top in London.
In July, the College recorded student satisfaction of 82% in the National Student Survey (NSS), putting Imperial first among fellow London Russell Group universities and second place among all Russell Group institutions.