University of Bradford named best in England for graduate social mobility

The University of Bradford has been named the best in England for graduate social mobility in 2025 in a comprehensive annual ranking.

Four universities in the West Midlands were also ranked in the top 10 in the analysis, which takes into account how many socio-economically disadvantaged graduates an institution takes in, as well as their outcomes afterwards.

London South Bank University (LSBU) compiles the annual English Social Mobility Index using data on access, continuation and outcomes for undergraduates.

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

Imperial College London, London School of Economics, and King’s College London were the highest-ranked Russell Group universities, at 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:

1. The University of Bradford

2. Aston University

3. The University of Wolverhampton

4. Birmingham Newman University

5. The University of Salford

6. The University of Greater Manchester

7. Birmingham City University

8. Imperial College London

9. The University of Huddersfield

10. London School of Economics and Political Science

11. King’s College London

12. Teesside University

13. Edge Hill University

14. City St George’s, University of London

15. Staffordshire University

16. The University of Central Lancashire

17. The University of Leicester

18. London South Bank University

19. University of Cumbria

20. Keele University

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