Top universities for employability 2024
Going to university is a big investment. You want to be sure you’ll see a return. Read our guide to the universities with the best employability 2024.
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How are employability rankings for universities measured?
We rank over 100 UK universities in a league table using publicly available data. To measure employability, we use the number of graduates who take a graduate job or go on to further study and divide it by the total number of graduates (whose future paths we know) and show that as a percentage.
Universities with the best employability
Our UK league tables saw the following universities take the top five places for graduate prospects for 2024.
First for graduate prospects and an impressive sixth overall in the UK University League Table, Imperial College has a rolling programme of employer events and free training to help you get on the career ladder.
Students can take advantage of one-to-one careers guidance, resources to develop interview and networking skills as well as postdoctoral support. The University of Cambridge’s ranked second for its graduate prospects and came top of the table overall.
St George’s focuses on giving students tailored jobs advise and has the largest careers library in the UK. Its overall ranking in the league table was 78.
4. University of Bath
University of Bath has come 4th for graduate prospects in the 2024 tables. They ranked 5th overall.
Oxford undergraduates will receive help from an excellent careers service which they can also access for life on graduating. The University of Oxford was ranked 2nd overall in our 2024 table.
Courses with the highest employability
While your university can play a role in how employable you are, what really matters is the subject. So, what are the most employable courses in the UK? Click on the links below to discover more about these employable pathways.
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Subjects allied to medicine e.g., pharmacy, physiotherapy, health studies, dietetics
Graduate salaries
Employability is one thing; salary is quite another. Graduate salaries will vary according to the job you go into. Higher graduate salaries tend to exist in areas like chemical engineering, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and veterinary science. Lower graduate salaries can be associated with subjects like archaeology, art and design, music and creative writing.
Some career paths have a clear progression route e.g., teacher, police or fire service with salary increases attached. Other careers have a less structured approach, and you’ll need to actively seek promotion. Look out for graduate fast-track programmes to help you develop quickly and take advantage of training opportunities to increase your chances of earning more.
For salary specifics in different subjects read what graduates do and earn.
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