The absolute best Russell Group unis for jobs in 2026, according to the Financial Times

The 500 best organisations for jobs in 2026 have been named, and so many Russell Group unis made it into this list. Wow, maybe it is worth sticking around your uni once you’ve graduated?

The Financial Times and Statista based their new UK’s Best Employers 2026 ranking on a survey of employees, covering factors such as salaries, working conditions, opportunities for career development and company image. Believe it or not, the University of Cambridge is apparently the best place to work in the whole of the UK in 2026. Well, some people do get offices in medieval towers? The University of Oxford came a few spots below it, in seventh place. Well, at least Cambridge beat Oxford in one university ranking this year!

Quite a few UK unis outside of the prestigious Russell Group are also great for jobs. Loughborough University ranked 26th overall, beating huge companies such as Meta, Rolls-Royce and Coca-Cola. The University of Bath and London South Bank University also ranked among the 100 best places to work. Yay for them.

So, here are the best Russell Group unis for jobs in 2026, based on where they ranked on the Financial Times‘s list:

17. University of Warwick

Ranked 449th overall, scored 72.71

16. Newcastle University

Ranked 372nd overall, scored 74.43

15. University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh looking very atmospheric

Ranked 294th overall, scored 76.69

14. University of Sheffield

Ranked 261st overall, scored 77.58

13. University College London (UCL)

Ranked 223rd overall, scored 78.52

12. Imperial College London

Ranked 216th overall, scored 78.66

11. University of Exeter

Ranked 204th overall, scored 79.09

10. University of Bristol

Ranked 186th overall, scored 79.69

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9. University of Birmingham

Ranked 141st overall, scored 81.95

8. Queen Mary University of London

Ranked 109th overall, scored 83.86

7. King’s College London

Ranked 99th overall, scored 84.49

6. University of Leeds

See, there’s more to Leeds Uni than just the Otley Run

Ranked 91st overall, scored 84.97

5. University of Manchester

Ranked 83rd overall, scored 85.41

4. University of York

Ranked 27th overall, scored 90.48

3. University of Glasgow

Ranked 22nd overall, scored 91.47

2. University of Oxford

Ranked 7th overall, scored 93.72

1. University of Cambridge

Ranked 1st overall, scored 100.00

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