The UK's 15 top universities - according to the success and 'employability' of their graduates

• There are a raft of different ways to measure what the best universities are, but in the current economic climate future employability is becoming increasingly important for prospective students.
• Based on this metric, it’s not just the UK’s best known universities taking the cake.
• When it comes to graduate employability, all of the UK’s four countries are represented in the top 15.
• Even in England alone, schools from the North East down make the cut.

With the cost of living crisis putting a squeeze on the economy, future career prospects are likely at the forefront of many upcoming university student’s minds.

This year’s high school leavers have only just finished their A Level exams in the last week, but before they know it the summer will blow by and results day will be upon them. Some will already have multiple offers to choose from, while others might be waiting on the results-day ‘clearing’ process - where universities open up leftover places in their courses to students without them. But whatever the case, prospective university students have a big choice ahead of them.

The Complete University Guide releases an annual ranking of more than 100 UK universities based on a host of different measures, to help simplify this decision. This includes league tables for graduate prospects - including an outcomes category that measures how many of its most recent students have successfully gone on to either a graduate-level job or further study.

While it’s not a perfect measure of how many graduates end up employed, the list is a valuable reference point for students who want to think ahead about their future job and earning prospects after university. Here are the top 15 scorers from across the UK:

Nottingham also boasts two international campuses, including this one in Malaysia (Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

15. University of Nottingham

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 86.3%

Rounding out the top 15 is the University of Nottingham, which operates from a number of campuses across Nottinghamshire - as well as two international ones, in China and Malaysia (offering great opportunities to study abroad). Students are able to study a wide variety of different courses, with 18 - including everything from veterinary medicine to social work - ranked in the top 10 for that subject in the UK. The guide also notes it’s a good option for athletically-minded students, offering sports scholarships, top notch facilities, and more than 70 different sports clubs.

14. Cardiff University

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 86.4%

Situated in the Welsh capital, Cardiff offers a mammoth 300 different degree programmes, meaning there really is something for everyone - no matter what kind of career you’re considering. The university has nine subjects in their UK top ten list; including psychology, architecture, and Celtic studies.

13. Loughborough University

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 86.8%

Based in the Leicestershire market town of Loughborough - between Nottingham and Leicester - Loughborough posts some 500 acres of gardens and open spaces on campus. Part of its success might be down to the fact that all of its undergraduate courses offer the option to include a year of work experience in the industry as part of the degree, according to the guide. Loughborough also has 18 subjects ranked in the UK top 10, including English, marketing, and communication and media studies.

12. King’s College London (University of London)

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 86.9%

The capital’s most central university, King’s College may be the place for you if you want to immerse yourself in a global city - with it also hosting students from more than 190 different countries. Understandably given its spot in the cultural and political heart of the capital, among its 16 subjects in the UK top 10 are law, politics, classics, and history.

The sculpture 'Series of Shapes in Red', created by Bernard Schottlander in 1968, is based outside Warwick's Rootes Building (Photo: English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

11. University of Warwick

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 87.6%

Sitting on the outskirts of Coventry, the University of Warwick is a comparatively young institution. But it’s already well and truly made its mark on the world of academia - and is ranked 10th overall out of all of the UK’s universities. It has 17 subjects in their respective top 10 lists, including creative writing, economics, and Iberian languages.

10. University College London (UCL)

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 88.4%

UCL has a grand and storied history, and was England’s first university to allow women to enrol - as well as to welcome students of any religious background. It is considered the UK’s 9th best university overall by the guide, and a whopping 35 of its 400+ subjects are in the top 10; including French, anthropology, law, and business and management studies.

9. Queen’s University Belfast

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 88.7%

Off to Northern Ireland, Queen’s is one of the UK’s very oldest universities. It it dedicated to the employability of its students, and has many active spin-out companies and innovation centres to this end. As could be expected with the Irish isle’s reputation as an international big tech hub, its 12 top 10 subjects include aerospace engineering and biomedical sciences.

8. Durham University

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 89.2%

Considered England’s third oldest university after Oxbridge, Durham is the jewel of the North East. It’s ranked 7th overall in UK universities, and has 31 top 10 subjects - everything from theology and religious studies, to geology, to music.

Founded in 1410, St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English speaking world. (Photo: Peter Thompson/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

7. University of St Andrews

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 89.6%

Scotland’s very first university, St Andrews is a prestigious university known for its unique traditions and student experience. It’s considered the UK’s 4th best university overall, and has 23 top 10 subjects, including chemistry, mathematics, and philosophy.

6. University of Bath

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 90.6%

The first in the list to pass 90% of its students moving on to high level jobs or postgraduate studies, more than two-thirds of students take a work placement or study abroad as part of their course. Bath has also dedicated itself to readying students for the workplace. Its top-10 courses include civil engineering, pharmacology and pharmacy, and manufacturing and product engineering.

5. London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London)

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 91.4%

A bit more of a specialist school than some of the others in the list, LSE is considered one of the world's leading social science universities - dedicated to educating students who want to make a difference in the world. It’s considered the UK’s third best school overall, and has 13 top-ten subjects, including social policy, law, and sociology.

The Radcliffe Camera is perhaps Oxford's most famous building (Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images)

4. University of Oxford

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 91.9%

Good old Oxford is thought to be the oldest university in the English speaking world - and is certainly the UK’s best known internationally. Its Oxford-based campus is a huge tourist draw in and of itself, but for students its a competitive school to get into. But once you do, it offers perhaps unparalleled student support (about one in four of its students receive some kind of bursary) and a tailored education from world-leading experts. It’s considered the second best in the UK currently, with 38 wide-spanning top-10 subjects.

3. St George’s (University of London)

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 92.4%

Another specialised school, St George’s focuses on teaching medicine and health sciences. It shares its South London campus with a teaching hospital, giving it unparalleled access to clinical work placements in the field. The university’s claim to fame is perhaps that it was the school that educated Henry Gray - author of staple medical textbook Gray’s Anatomy. From next month, it’s worth noting that St George’s will be merging with City, University of London, the guide says.

2. University of Cambridge

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 93.1%

The other half of the prestigious Oxbridge duo, Cambridge is currently considered the UK’s best university overall - which naturally means that its graduates are often directly scooped up by employers. Among the 40 different subjects it offers making (and frequently topping) the UK’s top 10 lists are archaeology, linguistics, mathematics, physics and astronomy.

1. Imperial College London

Amount of graduates going on to graduate-level jobs or further study: 94.2%

And we have a winner! Imperial College specialises solely in science, technology, engineering, medicine and business - so understandably its graduates are sought out by the Silicon Valleys of the world. Despite its specialist nature, Imperial is still the UK’s 5th best school overall. Its top-10 subjects include electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, medical technology and bioengineering, and computer science.

To find out more about other ways UK universities are ranked, or to look into a specific school or degree you’re interested in studying, you can check out the Complete University Guide online here.