The University of Worcester beat six other finalists, including Leeds and Exeter, to University of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards on 6 October.

The University of Worcester has been named University of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards. It was picked from a shortlist of seven, ahead of much larger universities.

The winners were announced at a gala in London on Tuesday 6 October, hosted by Sue Perkins. The awards’ own list of winners names Worcester as University of the Year, with the University of Exeter, last year’s winner, highly commended.

Who Worcester beat

The 2026 finalists for University of the Year were:

  • Birmingham Newman University
  • BPP University
  • University of Bradford
  • University of Exeter
  • University of Leeds
  • The University of Sheffield
  • University of Worcester

The awards are run by the social mobility charity Making The Leap. They judge organisations on whether a person’s background still decides how far they get.

Third time on the shortlist, first win

This is not the university’s first attempt. When it was shortlisted in 2024, its own announcement said it was the third time Worcester had made the list. This year it won.

What the university says got it there

The university’s announcement on 8 October gives these figures about its students:

  • more than half are the first in their family to go to university
  • 97% come from state schools
  • around 40% study health-related subjects and about 20% study education
  • it graduates around 1,000 healthcare professionals and about 500 teachers a year

It also points to partnerships with colleges in Walsall, Hereford, Halesowen and Weston-super-Mare, which let people study for a degree closer to home in areas where few go on to university.

The award comes two months after the Daily Mail University Guide named Worcester its University of the Year for Graduate Jobs 2027, which we reported in August. That title rests on government Longitudinal Educational Outcomes data on what graduates are doing a year after they finish.

Professor David Green, the Vice Chancellor, said: “To be recognised as the UK’s University of the Year for Social Mobility, while also being acknowledged nationally for having the strongest graduate employment outcomes, is a tremendous honour.”

He added: “It demonstrates that universities can widen opportunity and deliver outstanding results at the same time.”

Councillor Matthew Jenkins, Leader of Worcestershire County Council, pointed to The Hive, the library the council runs jointly with the university. He called the award “well-deserved recognition” of the university’s “commitment to creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds”.

A second local name on the list

Worcester was not the only winner from the county. Wychavon District Council, whose area surrounds the city to the east and south, was highly commended for Leadership of the Year. Sodexo won that category.

What it means for you

  • If you are thinking about a degree, Worcester’s own figures say most of its students are from state schools and many are the first in their family to go. Open day dates are on the university’s website.
  • If you are an employer, the university says placements and work-based learning are a large part of how it gets graduates into jobs. Its Vice Chancellor credited “partners across business, community and public sector organisations” in the announcement.
  • The award is a judgement, not a league table. It recognises the university’s work on access and outcomes. It says nothing about any single course, so check course-level data on Discover Uni before you apply.