De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been shortlisted for the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2026, recognition that follows a major overhaul of its undergraduate teaching and a push into new international markets under its Empowerment University strategy.
Transformation in teaching and structure
The nomination highlights DMU’s move to a block teaching format across much of its undergraduate provision and the rapid pace of change the institution undertook. The university reworked a large proportion of its course portfolio in less than a year as part of a strategy launched in 2021 that it says was co-created with staff, students and external partners.
“To be shortlisted for University of the Year is a huge recognition of the ambitious, student-centred work our whole community has driven forward together,”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Katie Normington, emphasised the scale of the change and the role of staff and students in delivering it, describing the nomination as an endorsement of a large institutional effort to adapt teaching to modern student needs.
Scale and early outcomes
As part of the redesign, DMU altered 113 programmes — representing 73% of its portfolio — and completed those changes within an 11-month period. The move to block teaching means students study one module at a time rather than multiple modules in parallel, a format DMU says was introduced to improve flexibility for commuter students and those balancing work or caring responsibilities.
DMU also reports early signs that the new model is delivering improved outcomes: the first cohort to complete all their studies under the block system — the graduate class of 2024–25 — experienced a rise in student pass rates.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Programmes redesigned | 113 |
| Share of portfolio | 73% |
| Time to redesign | 11 months |
| Other institutions adopting practice | 40+ |
Wider influence and policy implications
DMU says more than 40 other universities have drawn on its experience with block teaching, signalling that the approach could influence practice across the higher education sector. The block model has been presented as a way to support students for whom traditional timetabling — studying multiple modules concurrently — is a barrier to participation and progression.
- DMU launched its Empowerment University strategy in 2021, co-created with staff, students and partners.
- The block model concentrates learning on single modules, intended to increase flexibility.
- Early institutional data show improved pass rates for the first cohort taught entirely under the new system.
Advocates of modular and intensive teaching say the format can allow clearer focus and better pacing for students juggling external commitments. Critics have raised concerns in other contexts about workload intensity within shorter blocks and the need for robust support for students and staff during rapid change, though the nomination and DMU’s own statements emphasise smooth implementation and staff commitment.
What the shortlisting means
Being shortlisted for the Times Higher Education award elevates DMU’s profile at a national level and draws attention to practical experiments in teaching design that other institutions and policy-makers may study when considering lifelong learning reforms or support for non-traditional students. For DMU, the recognition is being framed internally as validation of an ambitious, student-centred institutional strategy that sought to align teaching with contemporary student lives.
The full list of winners for the THE Awards 2026 will be announced at the ceremony. Regardless of the outcome, the shortlisting cements DMU’s status as a prominent example of rapid curricular and delivery innovation in the English higher education sector.
