Research commissioned by Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance (HCIF) on over 9,500,000 previous university students in the UK identified the university that has the most students who would start their own or run a business.
University of the Arts London, known for its creative students, currently ranks at number 39 in the university league tables, but this study ranks it at number 1 in the UK, as one in five (19.85%) students currently own or manage a business. The study found that 9.20 percent of the university’s graduates will start their own companies upon finishing their degrees.
The University of Cambridge – which ranks number 1 in the UK – is placed at five.
The top group includes:
(2) Falmouth University, where 19.77 per cent of students were likely to finish university and create a start up or become CEO of a company. This placed Falmouth in second position in the UK – a great improvement on its current university league table position of 52. Over one in ten (10.55%) Falmouth University graduates would become freelancers.
(3) London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) completes the top three, with one in six (16.10%) alumni finishing university and becoming business leaders. Almost one in ten (8.90%) of LSE students will fulfil job roles of CEO and Managing Director of businesses.
(4) The prestigious University of Oxford features in 4th place with over one in seven (15.23%) students becoming business leaders upon finishing their degrees – beating its main rivals, the University of Cambridge. The study found that 7.72 per cent of Oxford graduates will hold job roles of CEO after finishing their studies at the university.
(5) University of Cambridge: the study found that one in seven (14.85%) of its students leave university and form a startup company or become entrepreneurs.
(6) The rank 100th university in the UK, Goldsmiths, University of London, ranks sixth in the study, with 14.77 per cent of students becoming business leaders.
(7) Middlesex University holds seventh place in the study with almost one in seven (13.51%) alumni managing or owning a business – a very impressive result for the 109th ranked university in the UK.
Northern Unis
The top universities for business leaders are all located in the south of the UK; however, northern universities generated impressive results. The 71st best university in the UK, the University of Bradford was the highest scoring university on the other side of the North vs South divide, with one in eight (12.14%) graduates forming start-ups and ranking at 19th in the study.
The University of St Andrews, the second-best university in the north, ranked in 23rd position in the study with 11.90 per cent of alumni becoming CEOs or business owners.
The top three northern universities are completed by the University of Cumbria which has over one in ten (11.62%) students using their degrees for business leadership roles.
Over one in ten (11.60%) alumni from the University of Manchester created their own company and fulfilled key managing director roles. The red brick university ranks 4th amongst the northern universities and 26th in the UK study overall.
The top five northern universities list is completed by the University of Salford which has 11.17 per cent of students finishing university to become entrepreneurs or CEOs.
Top 10 Universities:
University | University Rank | Study Rank | % |
University of the Arts London | 39 | 1 | 19.85% |
Falmouth University | 52 | 2 | 19.77% |
London School of Economics (LSE) | 19 | 3 | 16.10% |
University of Oxford | 3 | 4 | 15.23% |
University of Cambridge | 1 | 5 | 14.85% |
Goldsmiths, University of London | 100 | 6 | 14.77% |
Middlesex University | 109 | 7 | 13.51% |
University for the Creative Arts | 13 | 8 | 13.48% |
Imperial College London | 7 | 8 | 13.48% |
London Metropolitan University | 111 | 10 | 12.93% |
Top 5 Northern Universities:
University | University Rank | Study Rank | % |
University of Bradford | 71 | 19 | 12.14% |
University of St Andrews | 2 | 23 | 11.90% |
University of Cumbria | 116 | 25 | 11.62% |
University of Manchester | 40 | 26 | 11.60% |
University of Salford | 91 | 30 | 11.17% |
About the study
HCIF commissioned this study involving 9,544,010 former university students in the UK. This was obtained by using LinkedIn data of all the students with the university on their profile, who have job titles associated with starting or running a business.