The new Complete University Guide reveals the best UK unis for grad jobs aren’t Oxbridge

The new Complete University Guide for 2026 has landed, which shows us the best UK unis for grad jobs – but Oxbridge aren’t top.

Two surprising London unis beat the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.

Although there are plenty of Russell Group unis on this list, there are also some more unexpected unis. The University of Bath, the University of St Andrews and Loughborough University are all among the top 10 unis for grad jobs. You just won’t be able to brag to your neighbours that you go to a Russell Group uni.

Apparently, the best UK uni for nabbing a grad job is Imperial College London. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) isn’t far behind it.

The Complete University Guide comes up with this ranking by analysing data from the Graduate Outcomes survey. The Complete University Guide looks at how many students who escaped uni in 2022 had a grad job, and felt their careers were on track.

So, here are the 20 absolute best UK unis for grad jobs right now, according to the Complete University Guide for 2026:

20. University of Surrey – scored 82.4

19. University of Dundee – scored 82.5

18. University of Strathclyde – scored 82.6

17. University of Bristol – scored 82.7

16. University of Southampton – scored 83.2

A real life Soto grad

15. University of Birmingham – scored 83.4

14. King’s College London (KCL) – scored 83.8

13. City St George’s, University of London – scored 84.2

12. Cardiff University – scored 84.4

=10. University of Warwick – scored 85.2

=10. Loughborough University – scored 85.2

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9. Queen’s University Belfast – scored 86.0

8. University College London (UCL) – scored 86.6

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7. University of St Andrews – scored 86.9

6. University of Bath – scored 87.9

5. Durham University – scored 88.0

4. University of Cambridge – scored 89.7

3. University of Oxford – scored 90.0

2. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – scored 91.0

1. Imperial College London – scored 95.7

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