The University of Aberystwyth has been named the third best in Wales in a newly-published list from the Sunday Times.

And the Mid Wales institution has moved up the UK-wide university rankings table, from 45th to 42nd, after achieving a student satisfaction rating of 86.4 per cent – the highest in Wales.

However, Cardiff University is Wales' top institution, and the UK's 34th-best, and Swansea University came out ahead of Aber, despite being the only university in Wales to fall in the national rankings, from 31st to 36th.

That fall meant Swansea losing its top spot among Welsh educational institutions.

Bangor is in fourth place, Cardiff Met in fifth after a big jump in the UK rankings from 112th to 79th, the University of South Wales was sixth, St David's was seventh, and Glyndwr University at Wrexham came eighth.

While Aberystwyth scored highly for student satisfaction rates, it achieved only 66.9 per cent for its graduate prospects – the number of students heading into high-skilled jobs or graduate-level study.

The full details of the rankings are published in The Times this weekend.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “Cardiff Met’s performance in this year’s academic ranking is exceptional.

"It is the biggest riser in Wales, and the third biggest in the UK, ranking in the UK top 40 now for student satisfaction with teaching quality and the wider student experience.

“Known for providing hands-on higher education, Cardiff Met performed strongly in our new employment measure with nearly three-quarters of graduates in high-skilled jobs or postgraduate study within 15 months of leaving.

"Add to this the exceptional contribution the university has made in the sporting arena over several decades – honing the talents of 300 international-standard athletes competing across 30 sports using sector-leading training facilities combined with top-class coaching – and the university made a compelling case to win this year’s award as Welsh University of the Year.”