What do league tables mean for alumni?
We know that students use league tables to help them make decisions about university applications. But what do these ranking exercises mean for alumni?
This year, the University of Birmingham achieved a rank of 76 in the QS World University Rankings.
In a hugely successful year, the University also rose six places in the 2026 edition of the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. And alongside this, the University retained its place as the most targeted university for graduates by leading employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2025 report by High Fliers Research.
The Graduate Market report shows how an institution’s reputation can help to attract the attention of top employers. So, graduating from an institution that has a strong reputation for academic excellence, research strength and student satisfaction has a number of benefits for alumni.
Alumni benefits
- It will boost the value of your degree, giving you a competitive edge when applying for jobs
- It will increase your visibility in the graduate marketplace
- It will support your personal development when seeking career enhancement opportunities or further education
How can you help?
QS rankings assess universities worldwide and are influential in shaping perceptions of academic institutions. QS uses a number of metrics, including surveying employers and academics worldwide.
Each year QS sends surveys to many thousands of global academics and employers and the results are used to measure the reputation of institutions and their programmes.
If you are contacted by QS to complete a survey, please take some time to respond. 'If you're not registered to take part in this year's survey and would like to take part in the 2026/27 QS survey, please let us know via this form.
Further information about the QS process is available on the QS webpages.