THE University of Sussex is the country’s highest climbing top university as it jumped more than twenty spots in the league table.

The university rose 24 places in the leading university guide going from 43rd position last year to breaking into the top 20 at 19th.

The institution was the highest climbing in the top 50 of the 119 universities rated in the Guardian University Guide 2016.

Michael Farthing, the university’s vice-chancellor, said Sussex’s performance was “outstanding” and attributed it to a renewed focus on “focus on student experience and graduate employability”.

He said: “During the past couple of years we have looked very carefully at the areas in which we weren’t doing so well and have made some major improvements.

“In particularly, we have increased opportunities for studying abroad, for professional and industry placements and for internships.

“Giving our students these real-world experiences has contributed to our massive improvement. “96% of our graduates are either in work or full time study six months after leaving, which is a stunning result.

“What’s important now is that we continue to give our students the best opportunities, not just in terms of their experience while studying at Sussex, but for their careers and their personal development.”

The league table compiled by The Guardian rates universities on student satisfaction, grades and spending.

Sussex University was also ranked first for its performance in chemistry and second for its drama courses.

Seven other subjects also broke the top ten in their categories – modern languages, social work, American studies, English, geography, physics and the history of other.

Philosophy, sociology, anatomy, medicine, history, maths, and more also placed within their top 25s.

Professor Clare Mackie, pro vice-chancellor, said: “It is extremely pleasing to see nine of our subjects ranked in the top ten and many others in the top 25. It is a testament to the high-calibre of our faculty and our on-going efforts to make this a great place to study.”

The University of Brighton fell in the league table dropping from 62nd to 67th.

However while the institution fell down the league table, the university’s overall score managed to increase.

A spokesman for the university said: “Our overall score in The Guardian League table is continuing to increase year on year.”

The spokesman added: “The table also confirms that we continue to perform above the national average in terms of the value we add to each individual student and we also score well for graduate employment, rising 17 places in the past year.”