The Russell Group uni cities students are most likely to stay in after graduating in 2024

As dissertations are rushedly handed in and you spend more and more time doing all nighters in the library, it’s getting close to the time all the third years leave uni. Unless you wanna do that panic master’s (you totally should), you’re probably thinking about moving to a different city or moving back in with your parents (yikes). But what about staying in the city you’ve spent three years studying in and getting a job? And which uni is most popular for students doing this?

Well, research by student accommodation provider Liberty Living tells us which Russell Group uni cities grads are most likely to stay in after uni. The study asked recent grads about where they decided to move after graduation, and what influenced their decision. It found that over a third (36 per cent) of students stayed and worked in the city they went to uni.

So, these are Russell Group uni cities where students most likely to stay in after graduating:

8. Southampton – 32 per cent

A lot of Southampton grads obviously wanted to stay by the sea as almost a third of students decided to stay in the city after leaving uni. Transport and accessibility was one of the main reasons grads considered staying, followed by amenities (56 per cent) and culture (53 per cent).

7. Newcastle – 36 per cent

Obviously a fan of Newcastle’s reputation for being a good night out, 36 per cent of Newcastle grads decided to stay in the Toon after graduating. 70 per cent of students rated the city’s atmosphere, 69 per cent loved its nightlife and 68 per cent said its amenities were a factor in keeping them in Newcastle.

6. Cambridge – 39 per cent

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Whilst Oxford is notably missing from the list, 39 per cent of Cambridge students wanted to stay in the picturesque city after getting their degree. Cambridge is close to London and so 68 per cent said transport was a big factor in keeping them there. But the main reason so many grads wanted to stay in Cambridge was due to the networking opportunities knocking about in the city. Nepo babies uni edition x

5. Leeds – 39 per cent

Leeds is a massively popular choice of Russell Group uni and so it’s not surprising it’s the fifth most popular uni city to stay in. 39 per cent of Leeds students chose to stay in the city after finishing uni and it’s the city’s atmosphere and nightlife that keeps them there with 79 per cent rating it as good or excellent.

4. Birmingham – 41 per cent

41 per cent of Birmingham students wanted to stay in the city after leaving uni. I wonder what percentage of those chose to stay in Selly Oak specifically? Transport and amenities were the biggest factor in keeping students in the city.

3. London – 47 per cent

Not sure HOW they’re affording it on a grad salary but 39 per cent of London students decided to stay in the capital after graduating from their degrees. 47 per cent of London students from its many unis decided to stay and for 67 per cent of them, London’s atmosphere was the main factor in staying.

London was also the city that attracted the most students from other cities, with just under a quarter of students who moved to a new city after graduation choosing London.

2. Edinburgh – 51 per cent

Just falling short to another Scottish uni, Edinburgh is the second most popular Russell Group uni city for grads staying after graduating. Over half of all Edinburgh students decide to stay in the Scottish capital after uni. Edinburgh was rated as one of the highest cities for culture and its transport was also hugely popular for grads.

1. Glasgow – 51 per cent

Big up Scotland! The Russell Group uni city where students are most likely to stay after graduating is Glasgow. Glasgow was the most popular city for atmosphere, culture and heritage, and transport. Wowing. 60 per cent of all grads living in Glasgow said it also had good or excellent networking opportunities, so go get that bread I guess.

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