The latest news today from Bradford University suggests that it is a better place to study than Government inspectors give it credit for.

Last week the university found itself placed in the fourth division in a league table published in a national newspaper. The newspaper had based its ratings on marks awarded to each department of universities throughout the country by a team of inspectors part way through a project which has another three years to run.

The University of Bradford quite rightly pointed out that the league tables did not paint the full picture. They did not, for example, take into account employment rates among graduates - an area in which Bradford has a very good record.

In fact, people in the city have good reason to be proud of the university. In several fields it has been outstanding for some years. It has always had an extremely strong engineering department. It is well respected for its work on languages. It has been involved in pioneering research - not least into burns. It plays a major role in the life of the wider community.

In fact, it deserved a better judgement than one based on this superficial and premature report from the inspectors.

Today it got it, in the shape of news that the university's drop-out rates are among the lowest in the country. It is bucking the national trend at a time when more students are pulling out of their studies. Surely people would not be so keen to stay on board if it was the foundering ship that the league table suggests?

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.