Falmouth University has been crowned as best in the South West, following the release of the Times Higher Education UK Student Experience Survey.

The university ranked sixth overall, beating over 120 institutions and raising five places from last year.

Students praised the community atmosphere, extra-curricular activities and societies, campus environment and high quality facilities.

Based on a survey of over 15,000 students from across the country, the ranking reveals Harper Adams University offers the best UK student experience, with Falmouth University coming in sixth and the University of Bath coming in 13th.

The survey questioned students about their university experience across 22 criteria including teaching, accommodation, facilities and social aspects.

Loughborough University, last year’s winner, is second thanks to its exceptional sporting facilities and extracurricular activities.

The University of Sheffield is third with students highly rating its library and student union. The University of Leeds is fourth, and the University of Surrey comes fifth.

John Gill, editor of Times Higher Education, comments:

“It is notable that our league table is topped by a specialist institution with among the best track records for industry links and employability.

"Our survey tracks student attitudes across 22 criteria, but there’s no doubt that students put enormous stock on their future career prospects in this era of high tuition fees.

"One of the other notable findings, which reflects a longstanding trend, is that London institutions consistently perform among the worst in the country for the student experience.

"Eight of the bottom 12 institutions in our table are in the capital.

"This is likely to be down to a combination of factors, including the expense of living in London, the fragmented nature of many campuses, and the sheer size of the city.

"But it is something that London universities are finding very difficult to do anything about, and is in stark contrast to the overwhelming preference that international students have for studying in London rather than in other parts of the country.”