The troubled University of East Anglia has been handed a fresh blow after receiving its lowest ranking in a major league table in almost 20 years.
The UEA has ranked 33rd in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide - an annually published list of the country's best universities.
Judged by experts against a range of different metrics, the newly compiled list has seen the UEA drop out of the top 30 in the overall rankings for the first time in 14 years.
It is also the lowest the institution has ranked in 18 years, symbolising a worrying period of decline at the campus that less than a decade ago was bordering on the top 10.
Its highest-ever ranking came in 2018, when it appeared 13th on the list during a six-year period in which it was never ranked outside of the top 20.
In the 2024 list, UEA was ranked as 26th, meaning its latest placing has seen it drop seven places.
The news comes following a period of financial uncertainty for UEA and its vice chancellor voicing concerns about recruitment difficulties in the higher education sector as a whole.
He said: "An awful lot of institutions are placing extremely large bets on this recruitment round. Quite frankly, I don't think there are enough students to go around."
And there are fears this latest blow could hit future student numbers, with many putting great stock in the national newspaper's league table.
A UEA spokesman said: "We are always pushing for improvement and we are proud of the excellent experience, teaching and outcomes we deliver for our students.
"We understand that there are fluctuations in rankings, weighted on a wide range of measures. Maintaining a strong position in key league tables is an important part of our strategy.
"We're delighted to be ranked 21st in the Complete University Guide 2025 (a separate list) and we're also pleased to be placed in the top 30 in the Mail University Guide rankings.
"We're pleased that this year in the National Student Survey, the biggest survey of student sentiment, our scores improved, especially in areas around listening to student feedback and ensuring this feeds into delivering a high-quality student experience."
Meanwhile, Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) also saw its overall ranking sink to its second lowest level since it was first included in the guide.
First included in the list in 2016, when the Times relaxed restrictions on specialist institutions, NUA peaked at 56th in the 2022 table.
It was, however, recently named arts university of the year by a different national newspaper.
A NUA spokeswoman said: "League tables often overlook the unique strengths of smaller specialist institutions like ours, where very small shifts over a wide range of data sets can impact rankings.
"We are proud to have recently been recognised as arts university of the year by the Daily Mail.
"This accolade reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence in education, creativity and innovation.
"We continue to focus on providing an outstanding learning environment that nurtures the next generation of creative talent."
The Good University Guide calculates its league table by analysing data in several different areas - including entry standards, student attainment and student-staff ratios.
The 2025 league table has a new leader, with the London School of Economics and Political Sciences rated in top spot for the first time in its history.
The University of St Andrews, which includes Prince William among its alumni, has been ranked second, with Oxford and Cambridge in third and fourth respectively.
Nationally, 134 universities appear on the list.
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