BOURNEMOUTH University has denied claims of “grade inflation” after it emerged that many more students were getting the top classes of degrees.

The number of graduates getting a first class or 2:1 degree at Bournemouth rose by 68.5 per cent between 1998 and 2014, according to a survey by the Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The percentage rise was bigger than any other university apart from Liverpool John Moores, where the figure was 83.2 per cent.

The guide said grades had improved rapidly since the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 and the decision in 2010 to raise them to £9,000 a year.

But Bournemouth University has insisted academic standards are high and it is attracting more high-calibre students.

Andrew Halls, head master of King’s College School in Wimbledon, has claimed some universities, keen to attract students and their fees, appeared to have "an elastic academic morality, enabling them to reward their own students with improbably good degree results”.

Jim Andrews, chief operating officer at Bournemouth University (BU), said: “We are proud of the achievements of our students and the rise in the number of BU students receiving top awards is a reflection of the quality of our teaching, our students and BU as a whole.

“BU as an institution has undergone a significant transformation since receiving university status in 1992 and it is difficult to make a direct comparison between the academic experience then and now.”

He said the university was the first to be commended by the Quality Assurance Agency in 2013 for the quality of learning opportunities and it had invested in research.

He added: “We have seen a marked increase in the number of high calibre (ABB+) students enrolling at BU over the last four years and we believe this, combined with our emphasis on research, our strong industry links and the quality of learning opportunities, is why we see improving achievement by students at BU.

“Their degrees are a just reward for the hard work they put in during their time with us, the quality of our staff, and a reflection of the way our institution has grown and succeeded in the timeframe measured by the Sunday Times report.”