Bradford University has come top of the Higher Education Policy Institute's Social Mobility Index for the fourth year in a row.

The index, compiled by London South Bank University, measures higher education institutions' capacity to improve students' life chances.

First published in 2021, Bradford University has been ranked in first place in every year of the index's existence.

According to a spokesperson for the university, 65 per cent of its students are "from the most socio-economically deprived backgrounds"; 79 per cent are from the region; and 92 per cent are in employment or further study 15 months after graduating.

The university is also said to have awarded £2.7m in grants and bursaries last year.

Professor Shirley Congdon, Bradford University's vice chancellor, said: "We have for many years put great emphasis on making the University of Bradford the place to be to make a difference.

"This is a core part of who we are and informs everything we do.

"As we stated in our silver-award submission as part of the Teaching Excellence Framework in 2023, we are proud to be the university of and for Bradford.

"We are committed to transforming the lives of our students by removing barriers and reducing attainment gaps.

"This in turn elevates their families and whole communities, enabling regional business to thrive, and boosting the economy.

"The latest Social Mobility Index is evidence that our vision and mission are working.

"We will continue to strive for equality of access, opportunity, and outcomes through targeted interventions such as those outlined in our Access and Participation Plan to ensure our students prosper from increased opportunities."

In the 2024 iteration of the index, graduate salaries were for the first time weighted by region.

Other data used in the calculation of the index include the "continuation indicator" from the Office for Students, a non-departmental government body.

That indicator "records the percentage of first-year students who complete their course or remain in UK higher education for 12 months (full-time students) or 24 months (part-time students) after starting their course", according to a university spokesperson.

Graduate outcomes for the index are defined based on the Office for Students' 'Proceed' definition, which counts highly skilled employment, any further study, and other activities (except for "doing something else") as "positive outcomes", while medium and low-skilled employment, and unemployment, are classed as "negative outcomes".

Further information about this year's results is available at https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/12/03/social-mobility-index-2024/