The latest HESA Graduate Outcomes results show the University of Strathclyde ranks joint first in Scotland for graduate positive outcomes.

The findings show that 81% of the University’s UK-domiciled, full-time first-degree graduates progressed to highly skilled employment or higher level further study (including interim study). This places Strathclyde at the top of the Scottish sector and above the upper quartile of UK universities for the seventh consecutive year.

Highlights from the results include:

• Strathclyde is ranked joint first in Scotland, with 81% of graduates in highly skilled employment or further study, up from 80% last year.
• The proportion of Strathclyde graduates in highly skilled employment has increased to 78%, remaining above both the Scottish average of 75% and the UK average of 72%.
• The University continues to exceed its Strathclyde 2030 strategic ambition of maintaining upper-quartile performance for graduate outcomes.

The 2026 Graduate Outcomes results relate to graduates from 2023/24, who were surveyed approximately 15 months after completing their studies.

Professor Stephen McArthur, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said:

“This reinforces our reputation for delivering the skills, education and graduates required by society.

“The results are particularly encouraging given the challenges facing the wider economy and graduate job market. They reflect the quality of our academic programmes, the strength of our partnerships with employers and external organisations, and the commitment of colleagues across the University to supporting our students' development and future careers.

We know that job prospects are very important to students, and the HESA findings clearly demonstrate Strathclyde’s continued focus on employability and career development sets our graduates up for success.

The HESA result coincides with the National Student Survey 2026 in which Strathclyde achieved an Overall Satisfaction score of 88.6%, placing it second in Scotland on this measure.

It also follows the recent news that Strathclyde climbed 21 places to joint 230^th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, putting the Scottish university among the top 15% of ranked institutions worldwide and in the top 30 in the UK.

In the 2025 QS World University Sustainability rankings, the University was placed 80^th out of more than 2,000 institutions in the world.

The University’s strengths are reflected in other league tables too. Strathclyde was named Scottish University of the Year and Runner-up UK University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, coming in at 11^th in the newspapers’ league table, up from 20^th the previous year.

Strathclyde also secured the UK University of the Year title in the Daily Mail University Guide 2026 and placed joint-sixth in its rankings – its highest position to date in a university league table.