The Times and The Sunday Times are to join forces in September to launch a new guide to British universities. The two newspapers have produced acclaimed, but separate, university guides since 1993 and 1998 respectively. From this year, the teams will come together with the most comprehensive guide to higher education in Britain in print and digital formats across The Times and The Sunday Times.

The newspaper content will be accompanied by a book, published by Times Books, an imprint of HarperCollins: The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, edited by John O’Leary, the former Times Education Editor and former editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement.

The publications will be a must-have for all sixth-formers and other potential students considering university application for admission in September 2014.

The newspaper editions and book will include the definitive rankings of British universities, based on their performance in a number of key areas for undergraduates. These cover student satisfaction with the quality of their teaching and academic feedback, course content and facilities; graduate job prospects; the likelihood of achieving a high-class degree; entry standards; research quality; student/staff ratio; and spending on library and other student services.

There will also be more than 60 subject tables, highlighting centres of excellence. These tables will be based on an analysis of student satisfaction, entry standards, research quality and graduate prospects.

John Witherow and Martin Ivens, acting editors of The Times and The Sunday Times respectively, said: "Between them, The Times and The Sunday Times have produced 35 university guides over the past two decades. By bringing together two outstanding teams and combining the best of both publications, Times Newspapers will create the definitive first reference point for all prospective students and their parents. The new publication will offer unrivalled coverage and insight."

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide will be published across both titles over a week-long period in the autumn. National University of the Year awards will be made to the top institutions in the UK, Scotland and Ireland, with further honours for the top universities for teaching quality, student experience, graduate job prospects, and degree completion rates. All the universities in the guide will be fully profiled with comprehensive statistics covering key performance indicators.