The University of Bolton has dropped in the university league table compiled by The Times and Sunday Times to become the second-lowest ranked institution in the North West. In 2023, the university was ranked 106th nationwide, and 10th in the North West, ahead of the University of Central Lancashire and University of Cumbria. In the latest rankings released today for the 2025 edition of the guide, Bolton’s university has dropped 13 places to 119th nationwide, and 11th in the North West – ahead of only the University of Cumbria in the region.
Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox. Nationwide, the university places ahead of just 12 other universities, with 131 listed in the league table. The methodology of this year’s guide has been tweaked to take into account the university’s sustainability – with the nation’s most sustainable said to be the University of Reading, achieving an 81.
8 per cent ranking in the "People and Planet" category. Bolton, meanwhile, achieved just 14 per cent in the same category. According to the People and Planet organisation, the university scored zero in a number of categories, including recycling, carbon reduction, water reduction, and energy sources.
Bolton also slipped from 12th to 38th for satisfaction with teaching quality, and from 15th to 62nd for the wider undergraduate experience, the guide says. However, the university gained 26 places to 71st for graduate prospects. Nationally, the London.
