A NORTH east university has been criticised for using misleading advertising to attract students.

Teesside University was one of six to be ordered to remove marketing material that breached Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulations and guidelines.

The advertising watchdog found a claim by Teesside University that it was the "top university in England for long-term graduate prospects" was misleading potential students.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) will also be issuing guidance off the back of the rulings later this week to "help universities stick to the rules".

ASA chief executive Guy Parker said: "Going to university involves a big financial commitment and misleading would-be students is not only unfair, it can also lead them to make choices that aren't right for them."

A spokesman for Teesside University said: “The marketing message cited referred to graduate prospects, a common term in the higher education sector for positive graduate outcomes.

"It was based on Government data which showed 84.9 per cent of Teesside graduates were in further study, sustained employment, or both after five years and, excluding colleges and conservatoires, placed Teesside as the top university in the country using this measure.”