Careers and employability
Our graduates are highly employable, and we're one of the most targeted universities by leading UK employers. You'll be joining a network of talented alumni, developing careers in over 190 countries worldwide.
Preparing you for employment
Our graduate employment record is one of the best in the UK; we are ranked joint 7th in the UK and joint 49th in the world for graduate employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings, 2022).
Bristol graduates are the 4th most targeted by The Times Top 100 UK graduate employers (High Fliers Research, 2023).
We offer a selection of courses with placement opportunities, allowing students to gain industry experience as a part of their degree. Find out more about the different career paths taken by our alumni.
Careers information and guidance
Our Careers Service offers a range of services to support you.
- Our staff can help you explore your options, develop your employability skills and make successful job applications.
- Online resources to help you research employers, browse job vacancies and practise for employer selection activities.
- Each year, over 300 companies take part in employer events on campus for employer presentations, networking events, workshops and careers fairs.
- Dedicated resources for international students and postgraduate students.
- Advice on postgraduate study options and funding.
Access to the Careers Service remains free for three years after you graduate.
Make the right connections
We have long-standing relationships with hundreds of employers, from small businesses to multinational organisations. They provide input into our degree courses to make sure they are up to date and frequently visit the University to share their knowledge at careers fairs, presentations, networking events and practice interviews.
Students in the Faculty of Engineering also benefit from a dedicated Industrial Liaison Office, which develops engineering-specific industrial links for students. Similarly, Social Sciences and Law students can access the Professional Liaison Network, a programme designed to enable students to network with people outside of the University.
The University of Bristol Law School offers a Professional Mentoring Scheme, enabling second-year Law students to meet regularly with Bristol alumni working in the legal profession.
Student enterprise
Getting involved in student enterprise is a fun way to learn about different forms of business and develop commercial awareness skills valued by graduate employers.
Our student enterprise and support service Basecamp is an entrepreneurship hub, helping students develop their business ideas and pursue start-up funding. Basecamp offers enterprise skills workshops, networking events, one-to-one guidance and enternships – self-employed summer internships.
University of Bristol internship scheme
The University of Bristol SME internship scheme provides opportunities to get high-quality, paid work experience with a variety of small to medium-sized organisations. Joining the scheme is a fantastic way to try out a new career, develop your professional network and enhance your CV.
Stand out from the crowd
The Bristol PLUS Award rewards students who have developed significant professional and life skills through work experience, volunteering or other extracurricular activities. The award is endorsed by leading graduate recruiters including Deutsche Bank and IBM.
As a startup founder I hope to better my existing robot model and further push the boundaries of my business into the UK. I have received tremendous support from the enterprise team and the numerous careers fairs.
Placement opportunities
Yasmin, a current student who completed a year in industry, shares how her placement year boosted her confidence and career prospects.
A network for life
When you graduate, you'll join a global community of more than 160,000 Bristol alumni from 190 countries.