DURHAM University has been ranked as the region's top university in a new guide.

It not only takes the honours in the North-East, but it has also been shortlisted for the Sunday Times University of the Year.

Durham is the biggest riser in the publication's league table's top 20, jumping from 17th place last year to 11th place this year.

The Sunday Times University guide, published tomorrow, reveals that more than two-thirds of Durham's students now come from state schools, a rate that has been rising steadily.

Links with 90 state schools in the region and bursaries for local students have helped, as has its second campus in Stockton, which concentrates on vocational degrees.

The guide said that more than two-thirds of subjects were rated excellent in assess-ments, underpinned by even higher scores for research.

Chemistry, applied maths, English, law, history and geography all gained the highest five-star research ratings, signifying international eminence.

The University of Newcastle ranks second in the North-East, and rises three places in the national table to 19th.

Applications to the university are up by 40 per cent over the past few years and teaching excellence covers all disciplines, but is most evident in its medical provision, said the guide.

It was one of only four UK medical schools to achieve perfect scores.

Northumbria University, in Newcastle, was named as third in the region and was cited as having a low graduate unemployment rate.

It was found to be one of the few universities in the UK to combine social diversity with a drop out rate well below the expected level.