WINCHESTER has been shortlisted for University of the Year in the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards.

The awards are widely recognised as the ‘Oscars’ of the higher education sector.

The university is on a shortlist of six from across the UK and is the only institution in the south to have been nominated for the award.

Winchester’s nomination follows a year of unprecedented success which saw it ranked among the top four out of 108 universities in the 2015 national student survey and third out of the south-east’s universities and 10th overall for teaching quality in league tables published by The Times and Sunday Times.

The university’s business school was one of only three to be named a United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education champion and Winchester also became the first university to win the British Quality Foundation UK Excellence Award in 2016.

The Times Higher Education Awards – which are in their 13th year – celebrate the talent, dedication and innovation of individuals and teams across all aspects of university life, with the University of the Year award given to an institution whose exceptional performance and bold, imaginative and innovative initiatives set it apart.

Professor Joy Carter, vice-chancellor of the University of Winchester, said: “It is a huge achievement for Winchester to make the shortlist for the University of the Year award and testament to the excellent work of our staff and students in making Winchester an outstanding institution.

“We have a bold and distinctive vision to provide world-leading, values-driven higher education. This means everything we do is built upon our deep commitment to our values and aims to make a real difference in the world.”

Times Higher Education editor John Gill said: “Once again these awards have attracted hundreds of entries from the length and breadth of the nation, and from institutions of every hue.

“All those shortlisted can be immensely proud to have made it through this first phase, and we at Times Higher Education look forward to honouring the winners for their talent, creativity and commitment at a time for the academy when these qualities are increasingly essential.”

The awards ceremony takes place in London on Thursday, November 30.