HEPI and LSBU English Higher Education Social Mobility Index 2025

The latest English Social Mobility Index, published by HEPI and compiled by London South Bank University, highlights where disadvantaged students are not only accessing higher education but also achieving meaningful outcomes and upward mobility.

Unlike traditional league tables, the Index focuses squarely on social mobility – combining access, continuation and graduate outcomes to measure both who universities serve and how far their students progress.

This year’s results also reveal important regional patterns, with strong representation from the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and London, underlining that impactful work on social mobility is happening across a diverse range of institutions.

At a time when the value of higher education is under increasing scrutiny, this Index provides clear, evidence-based insight into how universities contribute to fairness, opportunity and economic mobility. To explore the full rankings, methodology and what they reveal about the sector’s role in transforming lives, click here to read the results and methodology.