University impact
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals provide the framework for the University’s Strategy 2030, and our performance reflects our commitment to embed these across our operations − in our education, research, partnerships, policies and facilities.
This year, we were named fourth in the world and first in the UK for promoting gender equality in the latest Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, which assess how well universities are tackling global issues. We are ranked 70th in the world overall out of 1,400 institutions, as well as first in Scotland for health and wellbeing and reduced inequalities, for which we are ranked 21st globally. We rank highly in other global and domestic league tables.
GCU also climbed eight places in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, moving from 60th to 52nd out of 132 universities in the UK, and recorded its best performance in the Guardian University Guide, climbing 17 places to 52nd out of 121 universities in the UK. This was the highest increase of any Scottish university and makes GCU the top-performing modern university in Scotland.
We are also one of the top-performing universities worldwide when it comes to delivering benefits for communities through our work.
An independent report on the economic and social impact of GCU concluded we contributed more than £1.4 billion and 14,360 jobs globally in 2020-21. This includes £1.1billion and 9,760 jobs in Scotland. The BiGGAR Economics report highlighted that GCU is a valuable asset to the City of Glasgow, not only bringing economic and employment opportunities but working to address the deep-rooted economic, social and health inequalities in the city.
GCU’s MBA was recognised as one of the best in the world in the Corporate Knights 2022 Better World MBA Rankings. The programme ranked 18th out of 160 MBAs for its clear focus on sustainability and its alignment with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
The latest National Student Survey (NSS), which tracks the views of students from across Scotland, showed 79% of respondents were happy with the services provided by the University. Learning resources and teaching came in at 83% and 80% respectively and in the majority of the NSS categories, we are on par with, or above, the sector average in Scotland.
In the much sought-after annual Student Crowd University Awards, we held our spot among the top 10 universities in the UK for job prospects and were in the top three for value for money.
We are leaders in widening participation to Higher Education. Scottish Funding Council figures highlight that in 2020-21, 23% of our Scottish full-time, first-degree entrants were drawn from the country's 20% most-disadvantaged backgrounds, well above the sector average of 16.7%, with an outstanding retention rate of 93%. We deliver positive outcomes for our students, with 84.5% of our students projected to complete their degrees (HESA PI) − above both the UK and Scottish sector averages − and 93% in employment or further study within 15 months of graduating (HESA, 2022).