The best UK universities to study at for graduate social mobility

The analysis takes into account how many socio-economically disadvantaged graduates an institution takes in, as well as their outcomes afterwards
The University of Bradford has been named England's top institution for graduate social mobility in the comprehensive 2025 annual rankings.

This analysis evaluates how effectively universities support socio-economically disadvantaged students, from their enrolment to their post-graduation success.

Four universities situated in the West Midlands also featured prominently within the top 10 of the index.

The annual English Social Mobility Index is compiled by London South Bank University (LSBU), drawing on data concerning undergraduate access, continuation rates, and subsequent outcomes.

Aston University secured second place in the 2025 rankings, which are published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), with The University of Wolverhampton taking third.

Among the Russell Group universities, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, and King’s College London were the highest-ranked, placing eighth, 10th, and 11th respectively.

The other two West Midlands universities were Birmingham Newman University, which took fourth, while Birmingham City University was ranked seventh.

Across the North West and Yorkshire, the University of Salford was ranked fifth, the University of Greater Manchester sixth, and the University of Huddersfield ninth.

The index combines data on the proportion of a university’s intake that are from the two most deprived groups, whether they continue their studies or not, how they progress once graduating and median salaries of graduates.

Salaries are weighted to account for differences across the country.

Professor Antony Moss, pro vice-chancellor for education and student experience at LSBU, said despite the progress made in widening access to higher education over the last 15 years, “long-standing inequalities both in access and outcomes persist for many disadvantaged learners”.

“Institutions need to do more, both individually and collectively, to close the access and outcome gaps for these learners, and I hope that LSBU’s Social Mobility Index continues to provide a helpful tool for universities to understand the efficacy of their approaches to supporting disadvantaged students,” he added.

University of Bradford interim vice-chancellor Professor Nick Braisby said the university’s recognition for social mobility “speaks to the heart of what Bradford stands for and it also comes at a time when the value of higher education is being actively questioned – at moments like these it is important to be clear about what universities are for”.

The top 20 universities in the Social Mobility Index 2025:
3.

The University of Wolverhampton
4.

Birmingham Newman University
6.

The University of Greater Manchester
9.

The University of Huddersfield
10.

London School of Economics and Political Science
14.

City St George’s, University of London
16.

The University of Central Lancashire
17.

The University of Leicester
18.

London South Bank University
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