The best UK universities chosen by major employers

More than 60 universities in the UK have been chosen by UK companies for producing the best 'ready-for-work' graduates

November 12 2015
UK business map

These are the results for 2015. View the 2016 results


UK employers from predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors have revealed which UK universities produce the best graduates for the workplace.

The universities of Oxford and Cambridge have taken the top spots in the UK ranking of the Global Employability University Survey 2015.

Unsurprisingly, the top 10 features a high number of institutions based in the capital, including Imperial College London, King’s College London, the London School of Economics and University College London.

But the University of Manchester, the University of St Andrews and the University of Bristol are also named as top preferences for UK recruiters.


- Learn about the 78 UK universities in the World University Rankings 


The survey, designed by French human resources consultancy Emerging and carried out by Trendence, a German market research firm, asked recruiters working for major UK companies to cast votes for the universities from where they like to source graduates.

What are UK recruiters looking for in graduates?

Skills UK employers look for
Source: 
Emerging

UK employers put more of an emphasis on grades, professional experience and degree subject than employers in Europe or multinational recruiters worldwide.

According to the survey, UK recruiters are also more likely to prefer universities with whom they have an existing link.

How do UK recruiters select universities?

university selection criteria graph
Source: 
Emerging

The results are particularly relevant as they provide some indication as to the long-term value for money at different UK universities, at a time when the cuts to maintenance grants put more pressure than ever on students to consider their financial future.

UK universities ranked by UK employers

Employability rank

University

World University Rank

1

University of Oxford

2

2

University of Cambridge

4

=3

Imperial College London

8

=3

University of Manchester

56

5

King’s College London

27

6

London School of Economics and Political Science

23

7

University of St Andrews

86

8

University College London

14

9

University of Bristol

69

10

University of Edinburgh

24

=11

London Business School

Not ranked

=11

University of Nottingham

143

13

The Open University

401-500

=14

University of Leeds

133

=14

University of Liverpool

157

=16

Durham University

70

=16

University of York

131

18

Queen’s University Belfast

200

19

Manchester Business School (University of Manchester)

56

20

University of Glasgow

76

=21

Loughborough University

351-400

=21

University of Birmingham

119

=23

City University London

401-500

=23

University of Warwick

80

25

Brunel University London

401-500

=26

University of Aberdeen

172

=26

University of Bath

251-300

=28

Cardiff University

182

=28

Queen Mary University of London

98

=28

University of Reading

164

=31

London College of Law

Not ranked

=31

Newcastle University

196

33

Heriot-Watt University

401-500

34

University of Sheffield

97

=35

Goldsmiths, University of London

Not ranked

=35

Royal Holloway, University of London

129

=35

University of Strathclyde

401-500

=38

Aston University

401-500

=38

Bangor University

301-350

=38

Lancaster University

130

=38

University of Bradford

601-800

=38

Warwick Business School (University of Warwick)

80

=43

Cranfield School of Management (Cranfield University)

Not ranked

=43

University of Dundee

185

=43

University of Southampton

110

=43

University of Surrey

251-300

=47

Soas, University of London

Not ranked

=47

University of East Anglia

149

=49

Aberystwyth University

301-350

=49

Middlesex University

601-800

=49

Swansea University

351-400

=49

University of Exeter

93

=49

University of Hertfordshire

501-600

=49

University of Sussex

140

55

University of Leicester

167

=56

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Not ranked

=56

University of Hull

401-500

=56

University of Kent

301-350

=56

Westminster College

601-800

=60

ESCP Europe

Not ranked

=60

Hult International Business School

Not ranked

=62

The Fuqua School of Business

Not ranked

=62

University of Essex

301-350

See the top 150 universities from around the world in the Global Employability University Ranking 2015-16.

Reader's comments (1)

This is not an employability league table. It is simply a measure of employer preference when it comes to graduates. This is much more about employment rather than employability. There is no single measure of employability and so to create a league table and to call it this is misleading.

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