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

Careers
Rankings for Students

Carly Minsky

November 12 2015

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 King’s College London, the London School of Economics and University College London.

But the University of Bristol are also named as top preferences for UK recruiters.

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?

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?

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	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	University of Warwick)	80
=43	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