The University is one of only two to achieve a Gold Award in Yorkshire and the Humber

THE excellence of its teaching has earned the University of Huddersfield a coveted Gold Award in a major new assessment scheme.  It is one of only two institutions in Yorkshire and the Humber to receive a Gold Award.  This confirms it as one of the top educational institutions in the UK. 

Factors such as highly-qualified staff, individualised learning support and rapid feedback on coursework have propelled the University into the top category of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).  Introduced by the UK Government, its main aim is to “provide clear information to students about where the best provision can be found”.

The TEF is administered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which has now announced rankings for Year Two of the scheme.  HEFCE states that the Gold Award signifies that “provision is consistently outstanding and of the highest quality found in the UK Higher Education Sector”.

Huddersfield was one of just 59 to achieve the top Gold Award, and became one of only two ‘Gold universities’ in Yorkshire

A total of 299 universities, colleges and other providers of higher education volunteered to participate in the TEF – which becomes compulsory from 2018 – and they were appraised by a HEFCE panel that used a wide range of data to focus on ‘core metrics’ that covered elements such as teaching quality, the learning environment and what students gain from their courses, including added employability.

A highly-detailed 15-page submission also formed part of the assessment process.  The University of Huddersfield’s document highlighted factors such as its Strategy Map, which has a central aim of inspiring students through outstanding teaching.

Huddersfield’s 19,000 students also benefit from a high-quality campus, ranked in the top 10 per cent nationally.