IT IS excellent news that the University of Bradford has experienced a jump in rankings in a widely-recognised annual guide to the best British universities.

Not only has it risen eight places in the national league table but it is now fourth in the list of top Yorkshire universities.

We have for many years stated our belief that the University of Bradford is perhaps one of the district’s most undervalued and under-appreciated assets.

The figures speak for themselves: almost three-quarters of those who graduate from the university are in professional jobs or doing further graduate-level study and there is a satisfaction rating from those who have attended of almost 80 per cent.

The University of Bradford is constantly evolving and is at the forefront of many exciting projects and developments - just yesterday we reported that a £1.5 million technology laboratory has been opened there which will cement the university’s reputation as a world leader in offering such courses.

This is, of course, a hugely important area in an increasingly technological world, and if Bradford can produce top-level graduates with these sought-after skills, it can only be good for the district as a whole.

And it has many other highly-rated departments, not least the university’s School of Management, which has a global reputation for excellence and attracts students from all over the world.

The university will no doubt keep improving and building on this latest success, and should rightly be recognised as one of the major assets of the Bradford district.