New research reveals the universities that produce the most start-up businesses
The research, carried out by the UK’s leading business financial platform Tide, revealed the universities that have produced the most graduate start-ups, including sole traders, since 2014/15.
Interestingly, it wasn’t a Russell Group university or a business school that produced the most start-ups, but actually, the Royal College of Art.
The fact that the Royal College and other arts universities produced so many businesses is likely due to the fact that a large number of artists and people in creative industries are self-employed.
The top 10 universities that have produced the most start-up businesses
| Rank | HE provider | Region | Graduate start-ups since 2014/15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal College of Art | London | 1,655 |
| 2 | Kingston University | London | 1,630 |
| 3 | Falmouth University | South West | 1,135 |
| 4 | University of Bedfordshire | East of England | 870 |
| 5 | The University of Central Lancashire | North West | 851 |
| 6 | University of the Arts, London | London | 783 |
| 7 | Solent University | South East | 780 |
| 8 | Conservatoire for Dance and Drama | London | 641 |
| 9 | The Manchester Metropolitan University | North West | 608 |
| 10 | The University of Lincoln | East Midlands | 594 |
Another London university was close behind in second, with Kingston University producing 1,630 start-ups since 2014/15, with start-ups from Kingston benefiting from investment from a partnership with Santander.
The university with the most grad start-ups outside of London is Falmouth, located in Cornwall. Falmouth is primarily a creative university and provides support via its Launchpad programme, which has a specific focus on helping students to bring their ideas into the market.
Further Insights:
- The university with the greatest income from the intellectual property of its students was the University of Oxford, standing at an incredible £213 million in just the last five years.
- The university with the third-highest income from the ideas of its students is Sheffield, at £64 million.
- Oxford students had over 3,000 patents granted in the last five years, landing it the top spot as the higher education provider with the most patents granted
- Students from the University of Cambridge have been responsible for 1,377 patents that have been granted in the last five years, placing it in second place, behind Oxford.
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