UCL graduates are among highest paid in Sunday Times university guide

*** This article was published in 2017 ***

UCL is seventh in the overall rankings, with Cambridge first, Oxford second, St Andrews third, Imperial fourth, Durham fifth and Lancaster sixth. The London School of Economics (LSE) is 11^th and King's College 28^th equal with Royal Holloway, London.

UCL, however, had the second best student to staff ratio in the UK, with 10.4 students to every member of staff.

The newspapers rank UCL graduates at fourth equal in the "pay table" of UK universities with a median salary of £25,000 a year six months after graduating.

It follows a recent survey by the QS intelligence unit which ranked UCL 17th in the world for the employability of its graduates, behind just Oxford and Cambridge in the UK.

Professor Michael Arthur, UCL President and Provost said: "I am delighted that UCL has maintained its strong record in the Sunday Times rankings, which are weighted towards assessing teaching quality and the student experience.

"At UCL we aim to provide students with a unique learning experience in which they have a first-rate education with one of the best staff-student ratios in the tables and which also offers a chance to carry out in-depth research through our connected curriculum. UCL has been consistently placed in either the top 10 or top 20 in the world for the quality of its research in the various world university rankings.

"The Times and Sunday Times's figures also reaffirm the success of UCL in preparing its undergraduates for entering work, making them some of the most sought after in the world. Our place among the universities with graduates with the highest median salaries is testament not only to the quality of our degree courses but also the support and advice we provide through UCL careers and its very hands-on approach to ensuring our graduates get the best start in whatever career they choose."

In the overall table, UCL is equal seventh with Loughborough, having dropped one spot compared with last year. Warwick and Leeds make up the final two spots of the top 10. Bath comes 12^th followed by University of East Anglia (13), Exeter (14), Birmingham (15), Bristol and York 16^th equal, Nottingham (18), Surrey (19) and Glasgow (20).

London South Bank is named its University of the Year for graduate employment with median salaries at £24,000 six months after leaving. It has also jumped 14 places to be just outside the top 100 in the newspapers' survey of 131 institutions. Imperial College tops the table for graduate earnings on £30,000 a year, followed by LSE on £28,000 a year, Cambridge on £27,000 and then UCL on £25,000 equal with seven others including Oxford.

UCL is also among the top three in London for completion rates of courses by its undergraduates - at 94.8%, according to the newspapers' guide, with 82% of its graduates entering professional or graduate level study six months after leaving.

West London university was the third most improved university in the newspapers' guide moving up 28 places to 56, while City University dropped the most places out of any university in the UK, falling 25 places to 75 in this year's league table.

The Times and The Sunday Times named Lancaster University its university of the year, having jumped three places in the table to sixth place.

Image

• UCL Graduation (Credit: UCL Digital Media Services)

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