University College Birmingham is top of the class at national student choice awards

University College Birmingham has been voted University of the Year at the 2022 national Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCA).

Unlike other national university league tables and accolades, in the WUSCA awards, all the universities are nominated and judged by the real experts - the students themselves.

This year’s star-studded award ceremony was hosted by BAFTA-winning actor Richard Ayoade in Canary Wharf. Universities were recognised for their excellence in categories from best SU, to Student Support, Student Life and more.

University College Birmingham had a stand out night, winning the coveted University of the Year award and the Student Support award, receiving £10,000 worth of bursaries for deserving students in the process.

The University of Sheffield, Aberystwyth University and Loughborough University also picked up major awards recognising their first class support and facilities they provide for students.

The national awards are run by Whatuni.com, a trusted comparison site used by over six million students each year as they navigate their path to university. WUSCA helps and empowers students to make informed choices by giving them the information they really need, straight from those who really know.

Simon Emmett, CEO at IDP Connect, said:

“The thousands of WUSCA student reviews we’ve received from students across the UK reflect the remarkable commitment, passion and care institutions have demonstrated towards their students over the last 12 months. The higher education sector creates exceptional student experiences and the WUSCAs is about celebrating that but also ensuring students have the insight they need to make the very best decisions about their future.

“As universities continue to battle the challenges posed by Covid, these awards will be a huge boost to universities and colleges who are leading the way in student satisfaction. These invaluable results will help students make the best choice about their next steps into higher education.

“Each of our winners and finalists have gone above and beyond to have a positive impact on student’s university experiences and shows the quality of higher education in the UK and its creativity, resilience and innovation.”

“Congratulations to the winners and well done to our shortlisted institutions and runners up.”

Angela Rapley, Head of Brand and Content, IDP, added:

“It was fantastic to have Richard Ayoade host this year’s awards ceremony, in our first in-person Whatuni Student Choice Awards since 2019. Our terrific submission award judging panel this year was once again made up of students gathered from across the country. Who better to judge universities than students themselves?

“After a challenging couple of years, it’s important to recognise the universities who are going above and beyond to support students and give them the best university experiences possible. The institutions recognised have successfully adapted, created and implemented fantastic initiatives to support and engage students, which our awards are thrilled to celebrate.”