Graduate employability continues to rise at Birmingham

The University of Birmingham has been named among the top five UK institutions for graduate employment. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that almost 87 per cent of Birmingham’s leavers were in graduate-level jobs or further education within six months of graduating.

These figures from the 2014/15 academic year are the University’s strongest results yet and place Birmingham fourth nationally for graduate employment, ahead of Durham, UCL, Nottingham and Warwick.

If one takes in to account overall employability, the University of Birmingham also fares better than Oxford, with 95.1% of Birmingham’s students in employment or further study within six months of graduating. This is also an increase on last year’s figures.

Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham said:

‘We are delighted with the latest figures released by HESA, which showcase our profound commitment to preparing our graduates for a fulfilling career, as well as providing them with a world class education. We strive to equip all our undergraduates with the necessary knowledge, transferable skills and confidence to go on to succeed in their chosen fields.

‘To achieve this, we have invested £5 million in to the expansion of our student employability services, our unique Careers Network guidance service and access to mentoring from some of our most successful alumni. Our students have also benefited from bursaries to support their development through work experience and national award-winning internships, along with placements in the UK and around the world.’

Birmingham has a strong worldwide reputation for producing sought after graduates. The University was ranked as the 13th most targeted university by leading employers in the UK in the High Fliers Graduate Market in 2015 report and the Guardian University Guide 2015 places Birmingham 8th in the UK for career prospects. Internationally, the QS World University rankings has Birmingham ranked 55th in the world for employer reputation.

Furthermore, a recent survey by salary analysts Emolument.com, placed University of Birmingham graduates tenth in the Alumni Rich List. The average salary of University of Birmingham graduates is £46,500 within five years of leaving. By contrast, students from Durham earn £45,000, Warwick £42,500, Nottingham £40,000 and Bristol £41,000.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

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