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20 Best Universities for Career Services - reviewed by 7,348 students

Posted by: on 4th October 2017

Most students dread the thought of job hunting.
Most parents are desperate for students to get a job.
Most universities offer help to students in the form of a Careers Service.

This article showcases the top 20 universities at helping students to get their career off to the best start.

How did we pick the winners?

We didn't.

We invited students from every university in the country to review their careers service. The response was overwhelming - 7,348 students reviewed their Career Services by completing our university review form.

We have written 20 biographies, in collaboration with the universities, to demonstrate how they achieved best in class status:

credit: Loughborough University

Average rating:
4.89 / 5
1st. Loughborough University

Loughborough University has a wealth of experienced staff members to help students with a range of services regarding their career progression as well as the largest university Careers Fair in the UK! Average graduate salary is £25k with 97% of graduates in work or further study just 6 months after graduating.

Read 606 reviews by students
There is no end of opportunities to help me socially, personally and for my future career
credit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/visitors/landmarks

Average rating:
4.82 / 5
2nd. University of Sheffield

A whopping 96% of graduates of the University of Sheffield are in work or further study earning a strong average salary of £21.5k. A total of 27,925 students attended the Uni of Sheffield last year and, of those asked, 89% were very or quite satisfied with their overall experience.

Read 270 reviews by students
Career opportunities are great as Sheffield has lots of ties with industries of all types
credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Dundee_University.jpg

Average rating:
4.66 / 5
3rd. University of Dundee

Employability is embedded throughout all University of Dundee degrees and the Careers Service is at the heart of this, offering bespoke sessions and modules across all subject areas from first to final year. The Careers Service also runs a range of award-winning employability modules which students can take alongside their degree subjects, including an interactive and personalised Career Planning Module, an online Career Planning Module and an Internship Module which combines academic credit with meaningful work experience.

Read 91 reviews by students
The Career opportunities are outstanding, almost 100% employment rate on my campus
credit: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/campus-close-up-university-of-leeds/2014372.article

Average rating:
4.64 / 5
4th. University of Leeds

The University of Leeds excels with promoting work placements and exclusive internships that other uni's can not offer. They also hold careers advice drop in sessions where students can get help with CV's, applications and even mock interviews! Average graduates salary is 20.9k with 97% of graduates now in work or further study

Read 310 reviews by students
The Careers Services are amazing. There are so many talks held and lots of people to ask.
credit: tees.ac.uk

Average rating:
4.55 / 5
5th. Teesside University

90% of Teesside University graduates are in work or further study and the average graduate salary is a steady £18k. Teesside offers a huge range of careers services including careers advice, drop-in sessions, applications & interviews, events such as careers fairs and much more!

Read 73 reviews by students
There is a career/job board in the SU. Updated regularly and loads of stuff in there.
credit: Image credit: Flickr: euanfreeman

Average rating:
4.49 / 5
6th. University of Glasgow

The Careers Service at the University of Glasgow received great reviews from students due to the range of options available. With help with everything from witing a CV to interview advice, their easy-to-use online system has it all. Average graduate salary is 22k and 96% of graduates have gone on to be in work or further study.

Read 120 reviews by students
There is an academic atmosphere, professional teachers and lots of career opportunities
credit: Cardiff University

Average rating:
4.49 / 5
7th. Cardiff University

96% of the graduates from Cardiff University were in work or further study just 6 months after graduating. The average graduate salary is a competetive £21.5k and this is helped by the strong range of careers services available to them. From drop-in sessions and workshops to careers fairs and events, you'll certianly be in good hands at Cardiff!

Read 283 reviews by students
Great opportunities for career development and work experience, with good student support services
credit: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/about/structure/governance/

Average rating:
4.48 / 5
8th. Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)

Queen Mary University of London is famed for its helpful and effective Careers & Enterprise services. They run a range of programmes to help you build experience – for example the award-winning projects: QConsult, QProjects, QEnterprise and QMentoring. They also help you one to one with everything from applying for jobs, job hunting advice and interviews to making career choices, starting your own business and investigating further study. Average graduate salary is 24k and 94% of graduates are in work or further study (based on 14/15 leaver DLHE Survey)

Read 29 reviews by students
Campus based uni extremely close to central London and great career opportunities
credit: University of Reading

Average rating:
4.44 / 5
9th. University of Reading

97% of Reading students said they would recommend the University to their friends and this is partly down to the excellent Careers support at Reading. A significant investment has been made by the University to expand the Careers team and employability support. Reading students benefit from 1:1 career coaching, bespoke career development resources, interview and recruitment support and hands on opportunities to engage in extracurricular training and activities to develop a skill set that makes them stand out Reading students can benefit from the award winning Thrive mentoring programme. Many of our students have developed their professional network and increased their interpersonal skills with the help of the scheme’s 500+ mentors.

Read 291 reviews by students
We have so many opportunities for careers, apprenticeships, and internships on our doorstep
credit: University of Bath

Average rating:
4.43 / 5
10th. University of Bath

At the University of Bath you can benefit from both online and face to face career services. Whilst students based away from the uni can get appointments by Skype or telephone, those close by can attend one-to-one appointments, workshops and talks! According to the 2014/15 HESA Destinations of Leavers from HE survey, 86% of Bath’s employed UK full-time first-degree graduates are in the top three occupational groups, compared to 71% of employed graduates nationally. The University has strong links with employers, and hosts more than 400 employers on campus each year.

Read 242 reviews by students
Fantastic uni with healthy balance of activities and education, and a great career service.
credit: https://www.facebook.com/uniofsta/photos/3761732623953144

Average rating:
4.43 / 5
11th. University of St Andrews

The University of St Andrews careers service mission is to help graduates successfully implement decisions about what they will do next in their lives. Open to students, graduates and in some cases, their family members. The results speak for themselves with the average graduate salary is £22,000, with 97% of graduates in work or further study.

Read 190 reviews by students
Incredibly helpful at encouraging me to pursue extra curricular activities to increase employability
credit: https://twitter.com/livuniglobal

Average rating:
4.35 / 5
12th. University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool Careers and Employability Service makes the planning of the students future less daunting and provide advice on the big decisions. Meeting & employability fairs are just some of the services they offer. Their average graduate salary of £21,700 with 96% of graduates in work or further study,

Read 69 reviews by students
The University of Liverpool careers service is extremely helpful to me during my studies
credit: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/greentrail/Innovation-Page?entryid=0c9cc80e-9b53-4636-bc7e-e08234382196

Average rating:
4.33 / 5
13th. Brunel University London

Brunel University London careers offer a tailored service helping students idenfity their potential career paths guiding them through the process of internships, graduate schemes, psychometric tests, interviews and assessment centres. Their results include an average graduate salary of £22,000 with 95% of graduates in work or further study,

Read 49 reviews by students
The professional development centre have been great in supporting me in applying for work placements
credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rolle_Building,_University_of_Plymouth.jpg

Average rating:
4.32 / 5
14th. University of Plymouth

The University Of Plymouth Careers & Employability Service provides information, advice and guidance enabling students to build on their skills, experience and contacts to improve their employability. As well as course specific careers provision delivered in faculty, a central service is delivered from the Careers & Employability Hub which is open to all students throughout the year. Annual Careers events include 2 big careers fairs, FLUX competitions, networking evenings and employer talks. The recently launched Plymouth Connect enables current students to link with alumni to aid career planning and provides a platform through which students can hear directly from employers. Their results include an average graduate salary of £21,000 with 94% of graduates in work or further study.

Read 235 reviews by students
The University of Plymouth careers advice staff have been very friendly and helpful
credit: Nottingham Trent University

Average rating:
4.31 / 5
15th. Nottingham Trent University (NTU)

With 96% of our graduates employed or engaged in further study six months after leaving, NTU has a great record of providing an integrated placements, work experience and graduate opportunities service to our students and alumni. Supporting more than 12,000 students in 2016-17, our teams of specially trained consultants and advisers deliver a tailored service to each of our eight School subject areas. We offer an array of unique activities, including Acceler8 Employability Award places for all students, ‘Recruiter Insights Live’ events, Employer challenges, Jobs Fairs featuring hundreds of employers, ‘Live Employer Project’ places for hundreds of students, skill building workshops and an exclusive online, self-help platform of tools and resources. What’s more, over 70% of the hundreds of business start-ups we’ve helped to launch are still in business. We’re driving to ensure all students have the opportunity to undertake the work experience that is now built into every course and to this end are the partner of choice for over 6,000 employers, large and small, across the private, public and third sectors – from Rolls Royce to Santander.

Read 175 reviews by students
You are notified about any events that could help you with your course and future career.
credit: http://gssarchitecture.com/featured_item/university-of-northampton-kingsley-newton/

Average rating:
4.28 / 5
16th. University of Northampton

The University of Northampton is the only Changemaker accredited campus in England and they emphasise the importance of transferable skills to take students into their graduate career by embedding Employability and Changemaker across the University. Their National Award winning careers platform is delivered through The Changemaker Hub. The Changemaker Hub is the go to place for careers advice, coaching, volunteering opportunities, work placements, internships and part-time jobs. Their results include an average graduate salary of £21,500 and the last 6 years 90%+ of graduates are in work or further study 6 months after graduation "

Read 45 reviews by students
There is a service on campus called UniTemps, they advertise part-time work at the uni.
credit: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/research/

Average rating:
4.26 / 5
17th. Edge Hill University

Edge Hill University Careers Centre supports students in finding part-time work and placement opportunities during their courses, and in making the transition to the world of work. Their results include an average graduate salary of £21,000 with 95% of graduates in work or further study.

Read 78 reviews by students
Edge Hill University is great, the campus is beautiful & there's more work being done to improve it.
credit: http://www.crp-ltd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/img_4802.jpg

Average rating:
4.24 / 5
18th. University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham Careers Network enables students to explore their employment opportunities. From CV, Application, Interview & Assessment day support to jobs, work experience, internships and mentoring. Their results include an average graduate salary of £22,000 with 96% of graduates in work or further study.

Read 171 reviews by students
The University of Birmingham careers service are really good and there's wi-fi all over campus
credit: University of Portsmouth

Average rating:
4.22 / 5
19th. University of Portsmouth

The University of Portsmouth offers support to students and graduates with the planning of their future. Support includes helping to find graduate jobs, part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, internships, placements and business start-up advice. 96.5% of their 2016 graduates were in work or further study and all their services are available for up to five years after graduation

Read 110 reviews by students
The university is focused on its students by improving to provide the best experience
credit:

Average rating:
4.22 / 5
20th. University of Lincoln

Our award winning Careers and Employability Team has recently been acknowledges by AGCAS and NUE Awards for its innovative approach to employer engagement. The team has developed a unique approach to careers education which takes students through a step-by-step approach to assist their career development throughout their journey at the University. 95% of our graduates are in employment or further study six months after completing their course.

Read 75 reviews by students
The careers service is great... we get sent a lot of information about how to improve our CVs.

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