CANTERBURY Christ Church University has risen 11 places in this year's Good University Guide.

Both of the city's universities were praised in the national league table for the UK's 113 universities, with Christ Church rising from 86th to 75th in the country and the University of Kent making the top 40.

The Good University Guide, compiled each year to coincide with the A-level results, rates each institution on its levels of student satisfaction, research quality, student to staff ratio, spending on facilities and services, entry standards, course completion, graduate prospects and its number of good honours degrees.

The guide, published in The Times, praised Christ Church for branching out with campuses across the county "well before university status arrived in 2005", and for its health and teacher training programmes which make it the largest provider of higher education to the public services in Kent.

The university fell down on its average spend on services and facilities, though it is investing £34million in a new library and learning resources centre, and sports centre.

Student satisfaction was recorded at 84 per cent – four per cent above the national average.

Senior pro-vice chancellor Prof Jan Druker said: "I am delighted that the achievements of our staff and students have been recognised.

"Whilst it is important to perform well in league tables such as this, the university's priority is to provide excellent academic and professional education in a learning environment in which students are challenged, supported and able to fulfil their personal and professional ambitions."

The University of Kent slipped two places down the list this year from 36 to 38, but was lauded for capitalising on its proximity to the Channel ports by specialising in international programmes, with foreign study opportunities and the establishment of the Transmanche University in Kent and northern France.

Applications for study have increased with the development of the Chatham Maritime campus in Medway, with the strongest subjects being social sciences, biosciences, computing, dance and theatre studies.

The university itself was credited as having a "cosmopolitan feel" thanks to high numbers of American and European students, although some complained that Canterbury itself is expensive and limited socially.