Loughborough University has been named as the world’s best sporting university.

The East Midlands-based institution finished joint-first with the University of Sydney, Australia in the QS World University Rankings by Subject table.

Rankings are based on the number of academic staff that declare a speciality in the subject and the number of employers who seek to hire graduates specialising in the discipline.

It also takes into account research output and impact undertaken by the university over a five-year period.

Professor Mark Lewis, Dean of Loughborough’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health, said the accolade was a “testament to the high-quality research we undertake and the high calibre of graduates we produce.”

“Loughborough has an outstanding reputation as a producer of elite sportspeople – but this year’s inaugural ranking demonstrates that prospective sporting students will receive education as noteworthy for its theoretical focus as for its practical,” added QS head of research Ben Sowter.