When Vision 2028 was first developed in 2018, the University of East London was in a very different position than it is today. We faced a number of financial challenges driven largely by a long-term decline in student numbers.  Our priorities had to be informed by the University’s immediate challenges – but a short-term fix was not the solution. Whatever urgent actions we needed to take for UEL’ s immediate financial sustainability could not eclipse or threaten our broader mission and purpose to further social justice through education and to tackle structural inequalities by placing social mobility at the heart of our function. Today, our origin as a ‘people’s university’ remains our ‘guiding star’, but our future success is underwritten by Vision 2028, creating a powerful roadmap for UEL to become a pioneering careers-ready institution that delivers sustainable innovation for a changing world.

We are now one of the most inclusive universities in the UK: 70% of UEL students identify as being from Global Ethnic Majority backgrounds; 77% of our UK students come from the most deprived 50% of households; UEL has been ranked 1st in the UK for the number of care experienced undergraduate students. Our mission to empower everyone to access and thrive in higher education, and to succeed in their graduate careers, feeds into our institutional purpose: to address health and economic inequalities wherever they are found.

In 2024, we are better equipped to work towards this purpose than ever before. Our research profile and impact are growing in key areas such as sustainability, health tech and early years development. Investment is increasing with the construction of our Stratford Health Campus and new courses in critical areas like mental health nursing. Our civic impact continues to set an example for the sector, with the new One East London Network that convenes UEL with other anchor institutions and health practitioners, to define and deliver initiatives that generate tangible, positive impact for patients, health and care workers and our students.

Since introducing Vision 2028, UEL has helped support 543 new student start-ups and is now ranked 4th in the UK for annual student start-ups (up from 97th), and joint 3rd for social enterprises. UEL is now in the top third of institutions worldwide for our impact on and commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Our transformation is further evident in our planned, exponential growth – we have more than doubled in size with a step-change in national and international reach – and also in our top quartile financial resilience, absence of debt, and a £350 million investment programme. In the 2022- 23 academic year, the University of East London contributed on £1 billion worth of impact to the UK economy, including £252 million in teaching and research impact. Every £1 of university income returns £4.02 to the UK economy, and UEL supports 3,955 jobs across the country. 

In recognition of our progress, we are proud to have received a number of prestigious awards in recent years. UEL has been named The Times & The Sunday Times University of the Year for Teaching Quality in the Good University Guide 2025, in recognition of our teaching and learning excellence. We are the highest ranked, most improved university in the Guardian University Guide 2025, placing 9th in London. And in 2023, we were shortlisted for University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards.

Above all, our student satisfaction rates are proof of our successes. In 2024, UEL’s overall positivity ranking in the National Student Survey has soared to 3rd place in the UK out of 139 HEIs, and first in England, representing a remarkable surge in overall graduating students’ positivity. Satisfaction with teaching quality has increased to 9th place nationally; satisfaction with learning resources has risen ten places to 4th nationally and first in London; and UEL has climbed to 7th place nationally, and first in London, for assessment and feedback. UEL’s impact has aligned with the expansion of our ambitions during recent years, outlining the bold action being taken to provide a socially just education that is life-changing for students and graduates.

This report tells the story of the institutional transformation that has taken place since implementing our innovative Vision 2028 strategy. It also demonstrates just how pivotal universities are to the social, cultural, and economic prosperity of the UK and serves as a reminder to think again about the role of universities beyond education, helping to shape and deliver a greener, healthier, fairer future.