South Lanarkshire College tops rankings for best performing FE college in Scotland

South Lanarkshire College (SLC) has been unveiled as the best performing college in Scotland for full-time further education, reflecting the achievements and success of our students and ranking first out of Scotland’s large colleges.

Data published by the Scottish Government’s education authority, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), for the year 2024-25 confirmed SLC to have the highest student achievement rates for full-time FE students.

SLC topped the SFC’s ranking in the years 2023-24 and 2022-2023 as well, making this the third consecutive year SLC has topped the rankings of Scotland’s large colleges.

The SFC’s report also confirmed that for every mode of study, full-time and part-time further and higher education, SLC has either improved or maintained our students’ achievement rates from the previous year.

Alongside South Lanarkshire College ranking first in Scotland for student achievement in full-time Further Education and fifth for full-time Higher Education, SLC was also confirmed to have the lowest non-completion rate for our full-time FE students compared to all of Scotland’s other large colleges.

These achievements mark an impressive year for the college, staff and students, as SLC looks forward to celebrating our first full year as a fully independent regional college in our own right.

In July 2025 SLC completed our de-regionalisation – establishing the college as South Lanarkshire’s premier independent educational institution, alongside continuing to serve students from across Glasgow and the West of Scotland.

Stella McManus, South Lanarkshire College Principal and CEO, said:

“This is an incredible achievement for South Lanarkshire College to be recognised as Scotland’s top performing college for full-time further education. It is a credit to our teaching and lecturing staff who have guided another year’s cohort of students onto successful and positive destinations.

“I’m delighted that the recent report illustrates South Lanarkshire College’s continued success in delivering a first-class education for all our students, with our student success rates improving or being maintained across all modes of study.

“Whether it is training future care professionals, preparing learners for the green economy, supporting apprentices to develop their trade, or providing those furthest from education and employment the opportunity to learn, South Lanarkshire College is proud to be delivering so that all of our students can succeed.”