THE former University of Wales, Newport, has refused to hand over data which will allow it to be ranked in the Complete University Guide for 2014.

The institution, which merged with Glamorgan University this month to form the new University of South Wales, was ranked the lowest in Wales last year.

Released today, the 2014 guide places Cardiff as the number one Welsh university, followed by Swansea, Bangor and Aberystwyth.

The table scores institutions on a number of criteria including student satisfaction, research, entry standards and graduate prospects. Glamorgan University is ranked fifth best in Wales ahead of Cardiff Metropolitan and Glyndwr in Wrexham.

Swansea Metropolitan and Trinity St David also declined to permit their data to be released for publication.

None of Wales’ universities made it into the UK top 30, with Cardiff ranked 35th and Swansea placed 48th.

The University of Wales, Newport, was dissolved on April 11 and its property, rights and liabilities transferred to the Glamorgan institution. Four universities, including the new University of South Wales, were excluded for technical reasons due to incomplete data, said the guide’s authors in a statement.

A spokeswoman for the University of South Wales said: “The strategic decision not to submit data for the league tables was taken by the former board of governors at the University of Wales, Newport.

“As the decision predates the merger the University of South Wales is unable comment.”

In the 2013 rankings, released last year, Newport ranked 105th in the UK, down from 89th.

Nationally, the top ten universities are Cambridge, Oxford, the London School of Economics, Imperial College London, Durham, St Andrews, University College London, Warwick, Bath and Exeter.