Bournemouth University has slipped four places down the respected Guardian University Guide.

It is now ranked 42nd out of 119 universities across the UK, compared with 38th place last year.

The University Guide 2012 has been compiled to help students choose between different institutions and courses.

Cambridge tops the table for the first time in seven years, taking over the top spot from Oxford, which is now ranked second.

Southampton University is ranked 28th, 10 places lower than last year, and Southampton Solent has climbed to 112th, three places higher than last year.

A breakdown of the figures reveals 77 per cent of Bournemouth University students are satisfied overall with 82 per cent satisfied with teaching and 65 per cent satisfied with feedback.

The university has a student to staff ratio of 23.6.

Charles Elder, press and PR manager for the university, told the Echo: “Our position in the guide continues to place us among the elite of new universities in the UK, but what the statistics don’t reflect is the excellent progress the university is making in terms of the quality of the student experience, which remains consistently high.

“We have made huge strides in recent years to ensure that our students are not just satisfied, but also working in partnership with the university to help us improve the courses and services we offer.”