Oxford Brookes University has broken into the ranks of the UK's top 50 universities, according to the The Times Good University Guide 2008.

The university is ranked 49th in the guide, published today.

Oxford University is ranked top in the guide for the sixth year running. Brookes, the former Oxford Polytechnic, has now overtaken a number of traditional universities, according to the guide.

It is ranked 26th overall for graduate employment, which places it ahead of many elite Russell Group universities, such as Manchester and Edinburgh.

Brookes' Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Upton, who is due to retire at the end of this month after 10 years, said: "Our key strength has always been in excellent and innovative teaching and the headstart this gives our graduates in the employment market.

"Brookes has for the past decade been the country's leading modern university. While this is an accolade we are certainly proud of, we are confident we can compete with the country's best universities."

He added: "Now with the huge investment Brookes is making to develop research activities and the announcement this year of our £150m campus redevelopment plans, we can be sure that we will continue to offer students one of the best university experiences available."

The guide ranks the 113 UK universities on nine different factors, such as student satisfaction and student to staff ratio.