Loughborough named the UK's leading university for student-employer connections

Loughborough University has been named the UK’s top university for employer-student connections in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings, 2017. The results also show Loughborough University as the only British university to feature in the world top 30 list for this measure.

The ranking is determined by the level of employer engagement demonstrated across both campuses, and recognises the value of events such as the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair, which sees over 200 employers flock to the campus to engage with current students.

The ranking values connections established through events on campus, such as employer-led workshops and guest lectures, which are often integrated into each programme at the London campus, as part of the Enterprise Through the Curriculum initiative.

The rankings also saw Loughborough University earn a UK top 10 position for employer partnerships, which recognises the number of industry collaborations in areas such as research.

The QS Graduate Employability Rankings order universities based on their efforts and ability to prepare students for the world of work. The rankings are decided based on five key aspects of graduate employability:

Employer Reputation

Employer reputation is measured by the responses of over 37,000 graduate employers across the world. Each employer was asked to identify which institutions produce the best graduates in their field.

Employer Partnerships

This indicator considers the number of distinct global companies collaborating with each institution in at least three research papers indexed by Scopus. Non-research focused partnerships are also considered. This data is then measured in relation to the number of faculty members employed by each institution.

Employe-student Connections

This indicator involves summing the number of employers who are actively present on campus. Employer-student connections relates to employer presence at careers fairs, industry led presentations, thought leadership workshops and more.

Graduate Employment Rate

This indicator involved measuring the proportion of graduates (excluding those opting to pursue further study or unavailable to work) in full- or part-time employment within 12 months of graduation.

Alumni Outcomes

This indicator involved researching the educational backgrounds of 21,000 of the world’s most innovative, creative, wealthy, entrepreneurial and/or philanthropic individuals, to establish which universities are producing the most successful graduates.

To find out more about our efforts to develop work-ready graduates, visit our Enterprise Through the Curriculum pages.

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.

Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.

The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.