The University has risen five places in the Complete University Guide 2016.

It is now 34th in the ranking of 126 UK universities, with six subjects in the Top 25 in the country.

There was a sustained rise in graduates in professional employment or further study six months after graduation.

Commenting on Essex’s performance, Dr Bernard Kingston, principal author of The Complete University Guide, said: “The University of Essex is one of a number of universities that have made special efforts to improve the employability of their graduates.”

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education, Professor Aletta Norval said: “We are committed to helping all our students develop the skills they need for a fulfilling and successful future and we are delighted with this improvement in our graduate prospects. We have been focused on developing our employability strategy, including investing in additional staff to develop internships, enterprise and our Big Essex Employability Award. We have embedded employability in our curriculum to further enhance the student learning experience.”

President of the Essex Students' Union, Chantel Le Carpentier, said: “The University of Essex has been dedicated to improving the student experience by working with the Students’ Union. I'm very proud that we have improved the employability of our graduates. This has been down to the hard work and dedication of staff across the university and Students’ Union.”