Less than half of students at some English universities will find jobs or new course places shortly after graduation, figures show
- New measure, published by Office for Students, projects likelihood of finding professional employment or starting further study 15 months after graduation
- Top performing institutions include Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College
- Birkbeck, Uni of Bedfordshire, London Metropolitan were bottom of leaderboard
- Medicine and dentistry students were most likely to find work after graduating, while psychology, media studies and sociology graduates performed poorly
- Full table of recorded universities ranked from best to worst can be found below
Less than half of students at some English universities can expect to find employment or further study shortly after graduation, new figures suggest.
A new measure, published by the Office for Students (OfS), projects students' likelihood of finding professional level employment or starting further study more than a year after they graduate.
The watchdog has found significant differences in the likely job and study outcomes among graduates of different universities and colleges.
At 25 universities and other higher education providers, the measure projects that less than half of students who begin a degree can expect to finish and find professional employment or further study within 15 months of graduation.
Graduates of Birkbeck College in London (31.6%), the University of Bedfordshire (33.5%) and London Metropolitan (39.8%) University were among the least likely to progress into employment or further study shortly after graduating, according to the watchdog's data.
The clear winners in the data were Imperial College (91.7%), Oxford (87.7%) and Cambridge (87.4%) who appear to offer students the best route to full-time work or further study post-graduation.
Less than half of students at 25 English universities will find jobs or further study more than a year after graduation, new figures have shown. File picture
Imperial College London (pictured) was the top performing institution according to the OfS data, closely followed by the University of Oxford and then the University of Cambridge
The Office for Students' experimental statistics calculate the percentage of pupils either in full-time employment or embarking on further study 15 months after they graduated.
At least 25 universities in the country appear to project figures that suggest less than half of their students who begin a degree there can expect to finish and find employment of further study after graduating.
But the measure projects that more than three-quarters of students at 22 universities and other higher education providers will go on to find professional employment or further study shortly after graduation.
University graduates of Imperial College London (91.7%), Oxford (87.7%) and Cambridge (87.4%), were among the most likely to progress into employment and further study, the report found.
The University of Cambridge (above) performed strongly, with 87.7 per cent of its graduates going on to further study or full-time work after completing their degree
The classic Oxbridge rivalry was renewed in the data from the Office for Students, with Cambridge pipping historic rivals Oxford (shown) to second place on the leaderboard
The watchdog's measure is calculated by multiplying the percentage of students projected to complete their degree by the percentage who are in professional employment or study 15 months after graduation.
Nicola Dandridge, OfS's chief executive, said the data brings into 'sharp focus' that there are 'profound differences in outcomes for students, depending on where they study and the subject they choose'.
She said: 'While we have no plans to use this indicator for regulatory purposes, we are determined to tackle poor quality provision which offers a raw deal for students.'
The report also found significant differences depending on what graduates were studying at universities.
The data suggests almost all medicine and dentistry entrants (95.5%) are projected to find employment or further study, but the rates dip to half or below in six subjects.
Graduates of sociology, social policy and anthropology (48.1%), agriculture, food and related studies (52.2%) and business and management (53.9%) are among those less likely to progress, the data suggests.
Psychology (54%), media, journalism and communications (54.8%), and sport and exercise science (54.8%) graduates also had low progression rates.
Ms Dandridge added: 'In publishing this information we recognise that - for many students - finding professional employment after graduation is one of the most important reasons for going to university.
'But it is not the only reason, and it is important to value all the wider benefits of higher education, including the personal development, the cultural richness and exposure to different people and different perspectives that higher education offers.
'Nonetheless, many universities make significant use of data about the employment outcomes for their graduates when marketing their courses. The publication of this independent data will provide further assistance to students in their decision-making.'
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'Everyone, regardless of background or stage of life, should have access to the high quality education they need to make the career choices that work best for them, and lead to successful futures.
'This Government has a manifesto commitment to tackle low quality higher education and drive up standards, and this data proves there is much more work to be done.
'Our landmark Skills Bill makes clear the power of the Office for Students to take much-needed action in this area, including its ability to enforce minimum standards for universities on course completion rates and graduate outcomes, and I look forward to seeing the results of this work.'
Institution Name | Students proceeding to full-time work or further study(%) |
---|---|
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine | 91.7 |
The Royal Academy of Music | 88.7 |
University of Oxford | 87.7 |
University of Cambridge | 87.4 |
The London School of Economics and Political Science | 86.3 |
Arts Educational Schools(The) | 85.8 |
The University of Bath | 84.3 |
St. George's Hospital Medical School | 83.9 |
University of Durham | 81.7 |
The Royal Veterinary College | 80.9 |
Royal Northern College of Music | 80.9 |
Guildhall School of Music & Drama | 79.9 |
The University of Warwick | 79.4 |
University College London | 79.1 |
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance | 78.7 |
University of Bristol | 78.1 |
The University of Birmingham | 77.6 |
King's College London | 77.0 |
University of Nottingham, The | 76.9 |
Loughborough University | 76.8 |
University of Exeter | 75.6 |
The University of Leeds | 75.1 |
University of Southampton | 74.9 |
The University of Manchester | 74.6 |
The University of Surrey | 74.5 |
The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama | 74.1 |
University of York | 73.6 |
University of Newcastle upon Tyne | 73.0 |
The University of Lancaster | 72.8 |
The University of Sheffield | 72.7 |
Queen Mary University of London | 72.5 |
The University of Liverpool | 70.9 |
The University of Reading | 70.7 |
Aston University | 70.5 |
Harper Adams University | 69.6 |
Oxford Brookes University | 69.2 |
The University of Leicester | 69.0 |
Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance | 68.5 |
University of Sussex | 67.0 |
City, University of London | 66.7 |
The University of East Anglia | 66.7 |
Brunel University London | 66.3 |
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Limited | 66.1 |
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | 65.9 |
The Royal Agricultural University | 65.7 |
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts | 65.6 |
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College | 65.6 |
University of Keele | 65.0 |
London Studio Centre Limited | 64.2 |
University of Brighton | 64.0 |
Leeds Arts University | 63.6 |
University of Plymouth | 63.5 |
University of Worcester | 63.2 |
University of Lincoln | 63.1 |
University of the West of England, Bristol | 62.9 |
Sheffield Hallam University | 62.5 |
The University of Essex | 62.4 |
The University of Kent | 62.2 |
Bournemouth University | 62.1 |
Nottingham Trent University | 61.9 |
University of Northumbria at Newcastle | 61.7 |
The University of Buckingham | 61.1 |
The University of Bradford | 60.9 |
Bishop Grosseteste University | 60.9 |
Edge Hill University | 60.9 |
Coventry University | 60.7 |
University of Greenwich | 60.4 |
St Mary's University, Twickenham | 60.3 |
The University of Cumbria | 60.0 |
The University of Chichester | 59.6 |
The University of Hull | 59.6 |
Kingston University | 59.0 |
University of Portsmouth | 58.9 |
University of Salford, The | 58.7 |
Birmingham City University | 58.1 |
The University of Huddersfield | 58.1 |
Manchester Metropolitan University | 57.8 |
Anglia Ruskin University Higher Education Corporation | 57.7 |
University of Hertfordshire | 57.6 |
Teesside University | 57.0 |
Liverpool John Moores University | 56.2 |
University of St Mark & St John | 56.0 |
York St John University | 55.8 |
Falmouth University | 55.8 |
Arts University Bournemouth, the | 55.6 |
Ravensbourne University London | 55.6 |
University of Winchester | 55.4 |
Bath Spa University | 54.6 |
University of the Arts, London | 54.1 |
University of Northampton, The | 53.9 |
University of Chester | 53.9 |
Leeds Beckett University | 53.7 |
School of Oriental and African Studies | 53.7 |
Leeds Trinity University | 53.6 |
University of Gloucestershire | 53.5 |
London South Bank University | 52.9 |
Canterbury Christ Church University | 52.8 |
University of Derby | 52.7 |
Norwich University of the Arts | 52.3 |
Goldsmiths' College | 52.2 |
Staffordshire University | 51.5 |
ICMP Management Limited | 51.5 |
The University of West London | 51.2 |
Buckinghamshire New University | 51.1 |
The University of Westminster | 51.0 |
Liverpool Hope University | 50.9 |
University of Central Lancashire | 49.7 |
Solent University, Southampton | 49.3 |
University for the Creative Arts | 48.9 |
University of Sunderland | 48.7 |
Roehampton University | 48.7 |
ACM Guildford Limited | 48.1 |
Writtle University College | 47.6 |
Middlesex University | 47.5 |
The University of Bolton | 47.2 |
University of Wolverhampton | 47.2 |
Futureworks Training Limited | 46.9 |
University of Suffolk | 46.8 |
Newman University | 46.5 |
Regent's University London Limited | 46.4 |
The University of Law Limited | 46.3 |
SAE Education Limited | 45.3 |
Plymouth College of Art | 43.2 |
University College Birmingham | 40.8 |
London Metropolitan University | 39.8 |
BIMM Limited | 37.8 |
University of Bedfordshire | 33.5 |
Birkbeck College | 31.6 |
Nelson College London Limited | 30.9 |
BPP University Limited | 30.8 |
Norland College Limited | 4.5 |
Source: The Office for Students, 'New measure shows substantial differences in likely job and study outcomes for students' 2021 |
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