English Social Mobility Index 2025 reveals top-performing universities
London South Bank University (LSBU), in partnership with the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), has today published the English Social Mobility Index, which measures the social mobility of university graduates across England.
The University of Bradford, Aston University and The University of Wolverhampton have secured the top three places.
See the full 2025 results of the English Social Mobility Index.
The index is compiled by LSBU and published yearly by the HEPI and calculates the number of socio-economically disadvantaged graduates and the social distance they travel for each higher education institution in England.
It combines access, continuation and outcomes measures for undergraduates for all modes of study apart from apprenticeships.
Bradford and Aston universities once again top the index retaining first and second place respectively since the index was launched in 2021. They are followed by the University of Wolverhampton in third, Birmingham Newman University in fourth and the University of Salford in fifth. The University of Greater Manchester and Birmingham City University take sixth and seventh place, while Imperial College London, the University of Huddersfield and the London School of Economics and Political Science round out the top ten.
The introduction of regionally weighted graduate salary data in the 2024 Index continues to shape the landscape, with institutions in the West Midlands securing four of the top ten positions for a second year running. Two universities from Yorkshire and the Humber, two from the Northwest and two from London also feature, reflecting the geographic breadth of institutions supporting strong social mobility outcomes across England.
Professor Tony Moss, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience of LSBU, said: “Despite the progress that has been 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.”
Nick Hillman OBE, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said: “At a time when there is a lot of criticism of universities, it is important to be reminded of the critical work they do transforming lives. The Social Mobility Index is different to other rankings because it puts the focus wholly on students and their real-world outcomes. The diversity of institutions in this year’s top 10 suggests the Index measures something valuable that institutions of all types can do well at, if they choose to adopt a dedicated focus.”