University tops list for creating the most self-starters
CORNWALL’S Falmouth University has been named best for business after a study showed it created thousands of entrepreneurs.
The university, which has television star Dawn French as its chancellor, came top in a survey of ten million graduates nationally, beating the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
The research, by business funding platform Capital on Tap, ranked Falmouth University at number one because 23.5% of graduates went on to run businesses.
Despite an average ranking of 67th across various league tables, 11% of Falmouth graduates went on to start their own business, and one in ten are freelancers – meaning that Falmouth produces a better rate of selfstarters than any other UK university.
The Falmouth and Penryn-based university, which has about 6,000 students, came top for producing the most freelancers, and second, behind the University of Arts London, for business founders.
However. Falmouth University, a creative industries specialist, came in only 50th for creating chief executives and other top business bosses, with only 1.61% of graduates rising to the top in firms, whereas Oxford topped that list with 7.22%, the LSE had 6.39% and the University of Cambridge had 5.14%.
Two other South West universities featured in the top 50 overall – with Bath Spa at number six, with a total of 16.04% of students making it in business, and Bristol at number 48, with 12.6% of graduates becoming businesses people.
Capital on Tap’s report said: “Prospective students with dreams of running a business may want to consider applying to Falmouth University as a new study found that the Cornish institution had the highest proportion of graduates that went on to start or manage a business.
“With almost a quarter (23.5%) of graduates going on to become business leaders, Falmouth beat out university powerhouses Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews to claim the top spot.”
It added: “While it’s not for everyone, freelancers can benefit from greater flexibility in their workload and hours, and they’re also not limited by geography, meaning they can work for anyone, from anywhere – making it an increasingly popular choice among young professionals.
“Ranking first overall, Falmouth was also the most likely to have its graduates go on to become freelancers, with more than 10% currently working in freelance roles.”
David Luck, Capital on Tap chief executive, said: “Going to university is an opportunity for young people to develop the life skills needed to be truly independent of their parents, but university programmes, clubs, societies and the student unions also give students a chance to develop other skills – some of which will lend themselves well to business management and ownership.”