The University of Worcester has been shortlisted for University of the Year in the 2026 Graduate Futures Institute’s Academic Employability Awards.
The shortlisting highlights Worcester’s whole‑institution model for employability, in which academic schools, a dedicated Careers & Employability provision and professional services work together to deliver an integrated approach, ensuring employability is embedded in teaching, assessment, and student experience across every discipline.
The University’s model has delivered consistently outstanding outcomes – Worcester is the top multisubject university for sustained employment, further study, or both (LEO 2017-2025), with 96% of graduates in work or further study.
The judging panel also recognised Worcester’s commitment to social mobility and regional impact. With 97% of students from state schools, many first‑generation or mature learners, and set within a region without major corporate headquarters, the University has built more than 1,000 employer partnerships to create rich pipelines into professional roles that strengthen public services, the NHS, schools, local businesses and the voluntary sector.
Professor David Green CBE, the University’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this national award, which recognises the commitment of our academic teams, careers professionals and employer partners. Our approach ensures that every Worcester student, whatever their background, can benefit from an educational experience that is career‑shaping, future‑focused and genuinely transformative.”
Curriculum innovation was a key factor in the shortlisting, including the launch of new health programmes such as Diagnostic Radiography and Dietetics, major expansion in teacher education through new regional hubs, and strong graduate prospects in disciplines ranging from Marketing to Forensic Science and Sport Science.
The University’s most recent Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) report described the University as “an engine of opportunity – supporting its students to benefit from an educational experience that is personally transformative and allows them to succeed in their chosen career”, an assessment echoed in this national recognition.
The winners of the Academic Employability Awards 2026 will be announced at the end of April.