Sheffield Hallam named 2022 University of the Year

Sheffield Hallam University has been named ‘University of the Year’ at the 2022 Educate North Awards, in recognition of the number of graduates going on to gain quality jobs, widening access to higher education, and the positive impact the University has on its region.

The annual Educate North Awards, which was held in Manchester celebrates outstanding work in the education sector across the North of England.

Earlier in the evening, Sheffield Hallam won the ‘Social Mobility Award – University Sector’.

The awards were won in recognition of a number of outstanding achievements, including:

• educating more students from underrepresented backgrounds than any other UK university for five consecutive years, whilst also leading South Yorkshire Futures, the biggest university social mobility programme in the country
• leading on graduate employability and applied work-based learning, evidenced by being the top modern UK university for the number of graduates in highly skilled jobs within 15 months of graduating
• strengthening its commitment to South Yorkshire, working with local partners to tackle key regional challenges and ensuring that communities benefit from having a world-class university within their region

Professor Sir Chris Husbands, Vice-Chancellor said: “I am extremely proud Sheffield Hallam has been named University of the Year at the Educate North Awards. The University continues to lead the way in widening access to higher education, improving graduate employability and shaping its community and I am delighted that this has been recognised.”

Around 65 per cent of Sheffield Hallam’s 30,000 students carry one or more of the ‘widening participation markers’, such as being from a disadvantaged or underrepresented background or a vulnerable group. 97 per cent of Hallam students are from state schools and colleges, and over half are the first in their family to attend university.

In 2021, Sheffield Hallam launched its Civic University Agreement, a set of commitments to help improve the lives of people across South Yorkshire. Key projects include a graduate mentoring programme that has supported more than 1,000 GCSE and A-level pupils to focus on their education and an innovation programme that enables free access to academic expertise and facilities to help regional businesses to innovate and grow.

Sheffield Hallam has embedded employability principles throughout its teaching, partnerships and research. For example, the Highly Skilled Employment project ensures that all 350 undergraduate courses include work experience or work placements at every level, so that every Sheffield Hallam student can benefit from real-world work-based learning.