The university is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and the Worldwide Universities Network. It currently has over 17,000 undergraduate and 7,000 postgraduate students, making it the largest university by higher education students in the South East region.
The university has a strong emphasis on research, having one of the highest proportions of income derived from research activities in Britain. Southampton is highly regarded as a centre for educational excellence, ranking nationally as a top 20 university in various tables, and regularly rated in the top 10 of the National Student Survey.
Some reasons to choose Southampton are:
1. They are among the top 100 universities in the world according to the Times Higher World University Rankings 2009 .They are one of only 17 UK universities to make it in the top 100.
2. The University of Southampton is in position 152 in the International League Table published by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University China in 2008 (17th in the UK).
3. They are one of the UK’s leading universities and have been ranked in 12th place by The Sunday Times University Guide 2009, 13th in the Independent Complete University Guide 2010 and joint 15th in The Times Good University Guide 2010.
4. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), more than 60% of their research was considered word-leading or internationally excellent. The University of Southampton is ranked joint 9th among Russell Group universities in terms of the 2008 RAE.
5. The University of Southampton has been ranked 9th in The Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2010.
6. Southampton is just over one hour from central London, on the south coast of England. They are surrounded by areas of natural beauty including the New Forest and the Isle of Wight, and connected to the rest of the UK and Europe through superb road, rail, air and sea links.
7. They have over 22,000 students including 1,400 EU students and more than 3,400 international students (from outside the EU) from more than 130 different countries. Their departments have many international links and are active members of international initiatives like the World Universities Network, the Centre for Contemporary China and the Thai-UK Collaborative Research Network.
8. All their international (non-EU) students are guaranteed accommodation for the complete duration of their studies in the Halls of Residence.
9. The quality of their graduates is recognised by employers worldwide, who are often invited to the Open Careers Days on campus. Their Career Destinations Department offers free advice to all their students for up to three years after graduation. They are renowned for their close links with business and industry and have been ranked in the top 20 UK universities for graduate starting salaries (2010 Sunday Times University Guide rankings).
10. They provide support to international students free of cost and confidential.
