The University of Stirling in Scotland has been named Scottish University of the Year by the UK's Sunday Times newspaper, in recognition of the university's "outstanding student experience and record for innovation and high quality teaching".

Stirling jumped 10 places in the newspaper's recently published university league table. Its rise from 42 to 32, its highest-ever ranking, followed excellent results in this year's national student survey and a strong performance in last December's research assessments.

The survey covers students' views on teaching quality, assessment and feedback, the quality of learning resources and their overall satisfaction with university life. Since last year, Stirling's score has risen from 74.1 to 78.7 per cent, one of the biggest gains of any British university.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times University Guide, said "Stirling richly deserves its award. It has provided a distinctive higher education for the past 40 years in a fantastic setting.

"Its designation as Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence was an acknowledgement of one aspect of the high quality provision on offer to students.

"High quality teaching is backed up by research demonstrating innovation and excellence across several subjects areas. The end result is highly employable graduates, who have benefitted from an outstanding student experience. No wonder they rate the university so highly."