Warwick ranked third top ‘young’ uni

The University of Warwick has been placed in the top three of ‘young’ universities and ranked one of the most successful universities in the UK for students securing job offers whilst still studying.

Warwick placed third in the QS World University rankings for universities under 50 years old, beaten only by The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The QS ‘Top 50 under 50’ survey ranked universities on the categories of size, focus, research intensity and age.

A survey by High Fliers Research, based on face-to-face interviews with more than 17,000 finalists, also showed that Warwick, as well as LSE, Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, has one of the highest success rates of students securing job offers whilst still at University.

Warwick’s performance in league tables overall in the past few years has been varied, having dropped from 7th to 8th place in the Telegraph’s league table and from 3rd in 2011 to 5th in the Guardian’s league table (although up from last year’s 6th place). Warwick also dropped from 100th to 104th place in The People & Planet Green League this year.

A University spokesperson commented: “We take all of these league tables individually with a pinch of salt – however, in every UK newspaper league table covering research and teaching we remain consistently in the top 10, so we must be doing something right.”

When asked why Warwick students seem to be so successful at finding placements whilst still at University, he pointed out that the University attracts “strong students”, and whilst delivering “great research and teaching”, Warwick also succeeds in “a strong understanding of the needs of industry and the professions.”

“There can be too much dependence on league tables by employers,” commented Students’ Union (SU) President Leo Boe. However, he did acknowledge the benefits of Warwick’s general success in league tables to graduates, adding: “It is a fair reflection of its high performance in a number of areas.”

When asked why he believed that Warwick students were so successful in attaining work placements whilst still at University, he attributed it to the culture of drive and ambition. He suggested that this atmosphere encourages students to aim above and beyond what is expected of them and to be ambitious in their applications.

He also commented that it is reflective of the opportunities available at Warwick, such as the careers and skills service, which he said to be “absolutely key in helping students realise their potential and also helps them understand what employers are looking for.”

Boe suggested that the extra-curricular opportunities available to Warwick students have a lot to do with students’ success and employability.

SU Education Officer Sean Ruston added that he believed that Warwick is the best university in the UK built in the last half-century, referencing Warwick’s good international reputation and the research reputation of its academics. When asked about the success rate of Warwick students securing work whilst still at University, he suggested that it probably has a lot to do with Warwick being one of the most graduate employer-targeted universities in the UK.

However, he did raise concerns about a divide between students who are “switched-on” to making the most of how they can improve their employability at University, and those who leave it until the last minute, also partly due to Warwick’s location geographically.

“Students need to be thinking from day one,” he commented, quoting the variety of opportunities and extra-curricular activities to improve employability. “Students should start thinking about it as soon as they get here.”