The UK universities that give you the best chance of working for a Big Four Accounting Firm

• London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) ranks as the best university for landing a job at a Big Four Accountancy Firm, with 2,726 graduates working for PwC, Deloitte, EY or KPMG.
• The University of Cambridge ranks second, with 3,401 graduates employed in roles across the Big Four firms.
• Oxford Brookes ranks third, with 2,355 graduates employed in roles across the Big Four firms

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) ranks as the best university for landing a role at a Big Four Accounting Firm (PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG) according to a new analysis of LinkedIn data.

As undergraduates return for their final year of university this September, many will have their mind set on a career with some of the UK’s largest and most reputable graduate employers.

However, as places for these graduate roles become more competitive, many will be wondering how their university stacks up in terms of career prospects.

Online trading platform and broker CMC Markets, analysed LinkedIn data for the Big Four Accounting Firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY) and KPMG, to see where their current employees most commonly attended university.

The analysis looked at the UK’s top 60 universities, including all 24 that are members of the Russell Group, to see which universities have the most graduates working for a Big Four Accounting Firm. The figures were also calculated as a proportion of each university’s enrolment size, based on student enrolment for the 2020/21 academic year according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

1. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – 5,776 graduates (42.9% of enrolment size)

LSE ranks as the best university in the UK to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four, with a total of 5,776 university graduates currently employed across these firms. When accounting for the number of students enrolled in a typical academic year at LSE, this works out at 42.9% of the total enrolment size. Despite LSE’s modest population of just 13,455 students, it ranks top for each of the four firms, with the most alumni in current roles at PwC (1,494), Deloitte (1,798), EY (1,477) and KPMG (1,007).

2. University of Cambridge – 3,401 graduates (15.4% of enrolment size)

The University of Cambridge offers the second-best chance of securing a role at the Big Four, with 3,401 graduates currently employed across the four firms. Cambridge ranked highly for all four firms, most notably having the second most alumni for both Deloitte and EY behind LSE. The percentage of graduates working for a Big Four firm works out at 15.4% of the total enrolment size at the university – which is 22,155 students. University of Cambridge alumni are split as follows across the four firms: PwC (893), Deloitte (1,057), EY (844) and KPMG (607).

3. Oxford Brookes University – 2,355 graduates (13.2% of enrolment size)

Oxford Brookes University places third, with 2,355 graduates employed in roles across the four firms. When considering the total number of alumni across the Big Four, Oxford Brookes ranks a respectable 12^th in the list, however when accounting for the university population size of 17,795 students, it ranks as the third best university for Big Four employment outcomes. Oxford Brookes alumni are split as follows; PwC (563), Deloitte (559), EY (809) and KPMG (424).

4. Durham University – 2,702 graduates (13.1% of enrolment size)

Durham University places fourth, with 2,702 graduates employed in roles across the four firms. Despite having a greater number of graduates overall in roles at the Big Four than Oxford Brookes University, when accounting for Durham University’s larger population of 20,645 students, this works out at 13.1% of the enrolment size of the university. Durham’s graduates are split as follows; PwC (754), Deloitte (794), EY (588) and KPMG (566).

5. University of Lancaster – 1,732 graduates (9.9% of enrolment size)

The University of Lancaster places fifth, with 1,732 graduates employed in roles across the Big Four firms – equivalent to 9.9% of its total student population of 17,470. Of the four companies, Lancaster sees more of its graduates in roles at EY according to LinkedIn, with 497 alumni working for the company.

University ranking by percentage of alumni who list themselves on LinkedIn as working for a Big Four firm

Rank	UK University	PwC Employees	Deloitte Employees	EY Employees	KPMG Employees	Total	Total student enrolment (for the 20/21 academic year)	Number of alumni working at The Big Four as a percentage of current enrolment size
1.	London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)	1,494	1,798	1,477	1,007	5,776	13,455	42.9%
2.	University of Cambridge	893	1,057	844	607	3,401	22,155	15.4%
3.	Oxford Brookes University	563	559	809	424	2,355	17,795	13.2%
4.	Durham University	754	794	588	566	2,702	20,645	13.1%
5.	University of Lancaster	466	435	497	334	1,732	17,470	9.9%
6.	University of Warwick	761	810	614	527	2,712	28,110	9.6%
7.	University of Oxford	661	856	546	504	2,567	27,150	9.5%
8.	Queen’s University Belfast	1,149	488	416	286	2,339	25,365	9.2%
9.	University of Bath	480	500	406	322	1,708	18,555	9.2%
10.	Heriot-Watt University	255	273	270	193	991	11,200	8.8%
11.	University of Nottingham	919	849	625	650	3,043	35,785	8.5%
12.	University of St. Andrews	283	276	202	166	927	11,485	8.1%
13.	Imperial College London	457	545	371	332	1,705	21,370	8.0%
14.	University of Bristol	717	655	515	476	2,363	29,785	7.9%
15.	The University of Manchester	987	1,001	770	729	3,487	44,635	7.8%
16.	University of Birmingham	858	796	576	667	2,897	37,750	7.7%
17.	SOAS University of London	116	138	95	101	450	5,865	7.7%
18.	University of Southampton	423	529	337	308	1,597	21,395	7.5%
19.	University of Leeds	881	717	568	544	2,710	36,840	7.4%
20.	Loughborough University	411	379	290	260	1,340	18,335	7.3%
21.	University of Exeter	620	632	467	472	2,191	30,250	7.2%
22.	Queen Mary University of London	415	526	376	348	1,665	23,870	7.0%
23.	University College London (UCL)	861	999	703	544	3,107	45,715	6.8%
24.	Newcastle University	660	476	366	311	1,813	27,775	6.5%
25.	University of Leicester	272	325	234	181	1,012	16,100	6.3%
26.	Royal Holloway, University of London	210	237	165	127	739	12,295	6.0%
27.	King’s College London	576	699	554	470	2,299	38,445	6.0%
28.	Ulster University	984	477	233	161	1,855	33,045	5.6%
29.	University of York	352	367	266	238	1,223	22,695	5.4%
30.	University of Sheffield	452	502	371	312	1,637	30,605	5.3%
31.	University of Kent	262	297	241	193	993	18,585	5.3%
32.	University of Reading	385	299	205	164	1,053	19,980	5.3%
33.	University of Edinburgh	559	586	489	349	1,983	37,830	5.2%
34.	University of Surrey	234	287	213	125	859	16,565	5.2%
35.	Aston University	252	226	204	162	844	16,795	5.0%
36.	University of Strathclyde	306	336	287	273	1,202	24,450	4.9%
37.	City, University of London	261	344	264	177	1,046	21,325	4.9%
38.	University of Liverpool	405	408	277	282	1,372	29,185	4.7%
39.	Cardiff University	395	585	255	250	1,485	33,510	4.4%
40.	University of Aberdeen	165	164	159	92	580	16,080	3.6%
41.	University of Glasgow	345	366	327	301	1,339	37,145	3.6%
42.	University of Sussex	189	217	152	101	659	19,415	3.4%
43.	University of East Anglia (UEA)	184	201	128	128	641	18,975	3.4%
44.	University of Hull	118	132	131	87	468	14,615	3.2%
45.	University of Essex	147	181	136	125	589	18,465	3.2%
46.	Aberystwyth University	60	73	51	49	233	8,040	2.9%
47.	University of Northumbria at Newcastle	220	216	301	111	848	31,860	2.7%
48.	University of Arts, London	112	203	131	88	534	21,105	2.5%
49.	Swansea University	143	195	77	66	481	21,465	2.2%
50.	Keele University	73	59	61	53	246	11,505	2.1%
51.	University of Stirling	78	82	77	56	293	14,410	2.0%
52.	Coventry University	208	228	197	150	783	39,145	2.0%
53.	University of Dundee	89	85	60	45	279	16,230	1.7%
54.	Nottingham Trent University	174	181	133	131	619	38,995	1.6%
55.	University of Huddersfield	60	63	51	62	236	20,610	1.1%
56.	University of Lincoln	41	52	46	33	172	17,565	1.0%
57.	University of Chester	38	28	29	18	113	14,210	0.8%
58.	St George’s, University of London	3	7	3	8	21	5,185	0.4%
59.	Harper Adams University	1	4	2	–	7	5,135	0.1%
60.	Norwich University of Arts	1	–	1	–	2	2,620	0.1%

The study was conducted by CMC Markets, a UK-based financial services company that offers online derivative trading such as spread betting and contracts for difference across world markets such as shares and foreign exchange.

Disclaimer:

Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. The vast majority of retail client accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Source: https://www.cmcmarkets.com/en-gb/spread-betting