Our economic and social impact

Download full report Full news story

At University College Birmingham, we are supporting our region to grow and develop to ensure it meets its skills priorities.

Independent analysis has identified that we have a total economic impact of £358 million across the UK. In terms of strands of activity that can be linked to a region, it estimates that £88 million of impact occurs in the West Midlands, with a further £48 million of impact accrued across other regions and sectors of the UK economy.

The impact of our teaching and learning equates to £221 million across the UK, but is heavily concentrated in the West Midlands, which reflects University College Birmingham’s integration within our local community and the fact that most of our students remain within the region post-graduation.

For every £1 we spend, we generate £6.70 of economic impact across the UK - an extremely high impact when compared across the sector.

"Universities must continue to play their part in the infrastructure that maintains the West Midlands’ status as the economic engine of the UK, supporting the objectives for the region’s Plan for Growth. We are proactively working with the West Midlands Combined Authority, the city of Birmingham, local businesses, community stakeholders and other regional partners, and continue to strengthen our partnership with the University of Warwick to grow our contribution."

Professor Michael Harkin Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University College Birmingham

Impact on UK

Impact on West Midlands

Impact of our teaching and learning

Impact of international students

Our impact on employers

Bolstered by our partnership with the University of Warwick, we are proud to provide a learning community that meets the needs of employers and society as a whole. We work with over 1,000 employers to provide student placements, while our employer boards influence our curriculum to ensure graduates are equipped with the skills industry needs. We work hard to ensure our students go into high value jobs and our activities support 1,275 jobs across the UK, with 925 jobs here in the West Midlands.

Our impact on students

Our students, from all over the UK and the world, invest enormously in the region during their time here. They do so as graduates who have been equipped by our industry-informed teaching and sector-leading facilities to deal with the challenges facing local employers. To this end, we were proudly voted University of the Year by students in the 2022 Whatuni Student Choice Awards. In terms of high value careers, our full-time graduates earn on average £64,000 more over their lifetime.

Download full report

Information on this page provides a good snapshot of the economic and social impact of University College Birmingham. If you'd like more detail, please download the full report.

Download

Back to top