Lancaster University is ranked 7th out of 120 institutions in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2013, published 22 May 2012.

The Guide is designed to help students pick a course for 2013. The tables are based on measures such as graduate career prospects, how highly final-year students rate their experience, a value-added score, spending per student and staffing ratios.

Professor Amanda Chetwynd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Colleges and the Student Experience, said: "Lancaster has fostered a culture of prioritising the student experience and teaching, and has striven to guard its strong research record with a significant investment in new teaching staff. This in turn has improved staff/student ratios."

She said that Lancaster does well on the measure for student satisfaction and appeals to students who enjoy the friendly and informal atmosphere, access to their tutors and a cosmopolitan mix.

"We think that the combination of the strong academic reputation, emphasis on employability and the student experience has resulted in Lancaster experiencing a surge in popularity, and this strong demand is pushing up grades. Lancaster now has over 60% of students with AAB grades or better which is another league-table measure."

The Guide showed that 89% of final-year students at Lancaster University were satisfied with teaching while 88% were satisfied overall, based on the National Student Survey (NSS).

Lancaster University, ranked 7th equal overall with Durham, also scored highly in the individual subject rankings: Lancaster is 13th for both Business/Management Studies and Economics, and Business/Management Studies is also ranked 3rd in the UK for 'Career Prospects'.

LUMS has its own award-winning Careers, Alumni and Employer Relations team, whose work with students and employers has helped take student employability to a higher level. "We start working with students as soon as they join the Management School", says Louise Briggs, who heads the team."It ensures that students are equipped to succeed in a highly competitive graduate labour market, and we are also very fortunate to be supported by top global recruiters."

The tables were compiled for The Guardian by Intelligent Metrix, an independent consultancy that specialises in measuring performance in higher education. The rankings are based on official data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) and on the National Student Survey, published by HEFCE.

The Guardian league table follows a ranking of 9th for Lancaster University in the recent Complete University Guide 2013.