Index recognises University of Leicester’s commitment to the social mobility of students
The University of Leicester’s commitment to the social mobility of its students has been recognised in a league table published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI).
Leicester is ranked 17th out of 100 universities in the 2025 English Social Mobility Index, published today (24 March). This represents a rise of seven places compared to the 2024 index.
The annual ranking rates the capacity of universities to act as vehicles for economic advancement, enabling students from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds to achieve higher-income employment.
The newly published results, which cover last year (2025), show the number of socio-economically disadvantaged graduates and the social distance they travel for each registered higher education institution in England. The index combines access, continuation and outcomes measures for undergraduates for all modes of study.
The publication of the index has coincided with the University taking an ambitious step forward to prepare every single one of its undergraduates for the world of work.
From September 2026, all campus-based, undergraduate students completing the whole of their programme at Leicester will receive a guaranteed minimum 100 hours of employer-informed Work-Related Learning (WRL) as part of their studies.
This places Leicester among the first UK universities to offer a sector-wide guarantee of meaningful, structured, real-world learning for every student, regardless of background, discipline, or career goals.
This week also saw the University join forces with Leicester City Football Club to launch a scholarship to encourage school and college leavers in the region’s most deprived areas to pursue higher education.
Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: “Social mobility and inclusion are priorities that are especially urgent in Leicester, the UK’s first ‘superdiverse’ city, and at our University, where many come from low-income households. In awarding us the title of 2025 Daily Mail University of the Year, judges were particularly impressed by the University’s social mobility initiatives and programmes to support underrepresented students into higher education.
“The legacy of the University of Leicester is that it is founded on a spirit of hope – to use the power of higher education to benefit others. To create a fairer, more equal society and to empower its community of students, staff and alumni to become Citizens of Change. Our strong showing in the English Social Mobility Index is a welcome boost for our ambitions to make higher education accessible for those who traditionally might not see it as a viable option.”
Find out more about the English Social Mobility Index on the HEPI website.