The University of Birmingham has been named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in a leading annual guide to higher education.

The accolade in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2015-16 places Birmingham as the UK’s number one university for securing a graduate-level job.

The latest award comes just two years after the institution was named University of the Year in the same guide for 2013-14.

Welcoming the news, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood, said: “When students choose to go to university they are making a big investment in their future.

“When they choose to study at Birmingham they are choosing a university that is profoundly committed to preparing them for a successful and fulfilling life ahead, as well as a world class education.

“At Birmingham employability is a shared agenda delivered throughout the university and sits at the centre of the student experience.

“From the moment our students arrive we strive to equip them with the necessary knowledge, transferable skills, and confidence to go on to succeed in their chosen fields.”

He added: “To achieve this, we have invested £5 million in the expansion of our student employability services, our unique careers network guidance service and access to mentoring from some of our most successful alumni.

“Our students have also benefited from bursaries to support their development through work experience and national award-winning internships, along with placements in the UK and around the world.

Birmingham was ranked as the 13th most targeted university by leading employers in the UK in the High Fliers Graduate Market in 2015 report. Internationally, the QS World University rankings has Birmingham ranked 55th in the world for employer reputation.

In addition a recent survey by salary analysts Emolument.com, placed University of Birmingham graduates tenth in the Alumni Rich List.

The average salary of University of Birmingham graduates is £46,500 within five years of leaving. That compares to £45,000 for students from Durham, whiile for Warwick the figure is £42,500, for Nottingham £40,000 and for Bristol £41,000.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “The fact that work placements are embedded in so many courses, coupled with the university’s outstanding academic reputation, makes it no surprise that Birmingham is one of the “go to” places for graduate employers.

“Winning our University of the Year for Graduate Employment award is testimony to the work done by the university to ensure its graduates leave ready to make an immediate and significant contribution to workplaces regionally, nationally and internationally.”