Birmingham Newman has been shortlisted for University of the Year in the UK Social Mobility Awards 2026.

The Awards – the first national awards event dedicated to social mobility – were introduced in 2017 with the ambition of making the advancement of social mobility a key part of how organisations are run in this country.

In the category for University of the Year, entrants needed to demonstrate an outstanding commitment to social mobility issues, providing additional support to disadvantaged students to lead to better educational and career outcomes. The award criteria also asked for evidence of developing partnerships with third-parties that benefitted the student cohort; or other innovative initiatives that prepared students for the future workplace.

Birmingham Newman has a growing national reputation for its achievements within social mobility. It is proud that more than 60% of its students are first generation in their family to attend university, and around 90% of its students commute from within the city of Birmingham.

If the University is successful when the final results are announced in October 2026, it will add to a growing haul of major accolades in recent times. Birmingham Newman is the current The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year for Social Inclusion, and ranked fourth in the country for the English Social Mobility Index. Additionally, the University is the UK No.1 institution for overall student positivity according to the National Student Survey and became Nurse Education Provider of the Year (pre-registration) at the 2026 Student Nursing Times Awards. 

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