A message from Professor Amanda Broderick, Vice-Chancellor and President

The University of East London exists to transform lives through education, research and enterprise that is unapologetically careers-first, inclusive and future-facing. Over the past year, our community has demonstrated, again, that when we set ambitious goals and work in partnership, we deliver impact at scale. 

This has been a year defined by growth, recognition and purpose, powered by the clarity and discipline of our ten-year strategy, Vision 2028. We set out to build a student-ready, employer-connected, impact-led university. We have moved from a pre-Vision 2028 position of financial risk to a thriving, resilient institution with the confidence and capacity to invest in people, place and purpose. 

This has been a year of four UK firsts for the University of East London – a testament to the strength of our strategy, our people and our purpose. We achieved the greatest and fastest improvement in graduate outcomes across the UK; became the highest and fastest improving institution for student experience; recorded the largest and fastest growth in new business enterprise, now ranking second nationally for student start-ups, and delivered the highest, fastest and most diversified revenue growth in the sector. Together, these achievements affirm UEL’s position as one of the most dynamic, future-focused universities in the country. 

Student voice and outcomes strengthened again. In the National Student Survey 2025, graduating students recorded 86 per cent overall positivity, placing UEL at the forefront in London and nationally. Students rated us significantly above the sector average for placements and for connecting work experience with teaching, confirming the value of our practice-based approach. The Graduate Outcomes Survey showed a 10.5 per cent rise in highly skilled employment, the largest increase in England. 

National recognition reflected this momentum. UEL was named University of the Year 2025 (Teaching Quality) by The Times and The Sunday Times, was a finalist for University of the Year and Business School of the Year at the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2025, considered one of the highest accolades in the Higher Education sector. We were named University of the Year by AGCAS at the Academic Employability Awards and also won Best Education and Apprenticeship Provider at the UK Apprenticeship Awards. These honours validate consistent delivery across teaching, research, enterprise and engagement, and the collective effort of our students, staff, alumni and partners. 

Our Year of Health brought our mission to reduce inequalities into sharp focus. It showcased our research excellence, community partnership and practice-based education. A defining moment came when the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, opened our Neighbourhood Health Hub at Stratford. 

The Hub integrates clinical services, education and research, offering residents services such as physiotherapy, musculoskeletal support, sports therapy, wellbeing support and health checks, and giving students real-world experience in multidisciplinary teams. It is a practical answer to how we can address health inequalities. 

We advanced our journey to net zero. We launched, in a celebration at the House of Lords, the UK’s first academic Child Online Harms Policy Think Tank to shape safer digital futures. We introduced a world-first on-campus screening initiative on iron deficiency and heavy menstrual bleeding to improve women’s health and academic success. We progressed development of our Stratford Health Campus, including advancements to our Hospital & Primary Care Training Hub. 

Through all of this we kept sight of why we are here: to prepare students for the careers of the future and the responsibilities of citizenship. Our Careers Guarantee ensures every student engages with real work from day one through placements, live briefs and enterprise experiences. Our Mental Wealth and Professional Fitness curriculum builds the human capabilities that employers prize — such as emotional intelligence, digital fluency and resilience — so graduates are ready to adapt and lead. Results follow. Confidence in career prospects is 9.4 per cent above the national average in the Graduate Outcomes Survey. We are ranked second in the UK for graduate start-ups (HESA 2025) with more than 1,000 per cent growth in firms still thriving three years later. Students are 24 per cent more likely than peers to consider starting a business. Our Practice Based Centres and health programmes train a significant share of London’s future workforce, including 1 in 3 of London’s Childhood and Youth Studies students, 1 in 14 studying Adult Nursing and 1 in 11 studying Social Work, alongside leader - ship in early years, sport and environmental and public health. 

We have done this while transforming our financial position. Since the commencement of Vision 2028, UEL has moved from risk to strength, joining a small group of debt-free universities, achieving sustainable growth and the headroom to invest. That stewardship allows us to use resources the way we use ideas: to close gaps, not widen them. 

Delivering over 17% of all service sector exports for Newham and Hackney combined (ONS), with over £1.2billion in UK annual output generated and supporting over 13,000 jobs – while directly employing more people than other major local organisations West Ham United FC and London City Airport combined – UEL is both an economic powerhouse and global export leader. 

The year ahead will be more ambitious still. We will complete a refresh of our Mental Wealth and Professional Fitness curriculum, scale practice-based education across all programmes and extend our Careers Guarantee so every student benefits from high quality placements or enterprise experiences aligned to growth sectors. We will deepen global partnerships that open mobility, research and market-entry routes for our graduates. We will progress our “Investing in our Future” programme and our net zero pathway, ensuring our estate and digital platforms enable the teaching, research and community impact our region needs. 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this progress. Together we are building a university that turns potential into purpose and purpose into success — a university that reflects the best of east London and projects it confidently to the world. 

With best wishes, 

Professor Amanda Broderick, BA (Hons) PhD DipM DipMRS PGCTL FRSA MBGS FCIM PFHEA

Vice-Chancellor & President