Aberystwyth 'university of the year' for teaching quality

Established in 1872, Aberystwyth was the first university institution in Wales

Aberystwyth University has been named "university of the year" for teaching quality in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018.

Cardiff University is back as Wales' overall top institution a year after being overtaken by Swansea University.

They have risen to 35th and 36th respectively in the UK with Aberystwyth joining them in the top 50 at 47th.

The list looks at student satisfaction, graduate prospects, degree results and student-staff ratios among others.

Three years ago, Aberystwyth was 93rd, leading to concerns raised by students about their job prospects.

The university said, at the time, it wanted to be among the top 30 in the UK by 2017 but the latest rankings show it has fallen short.

A spokeswoman said: "We are an ambitious university with a focus on continual improvement.

"We have made exceptional progress in university rankings in the past two years and are delighted to have been named university of the year for teaching quality across the whole of the UK."

Bangor University is up to 55th, Cardiff Metropolitan University is ranked 90th and University of Wales Trinity St David features for the first time at 104th.

The University of South Wales is 119th ahead of the bottom ranked Welsh university, Wrexham's Glyndwr at 127th out of 129 institutions.