Organisations named 'University' on the UK sponsor register (23 October 2026)
We counted organisations with "University" or "Universities" in their registered name on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, published 23 October 2026. Names that also contain NHS, hospital, health or trust (45 organisations, mostly university hospital trusts) are left out.
The numbers
- 200 organisations have "University" in their name, across 383 register rows (one row per route).
- 11 of them are students' unions, associations or councils, and 4 are university presses.
- 5 are colleges of the University of Cambridge registered under their own names.
- 118 hold a Temporary Worker licence (alone or alongside a Worker licence).
- SponsorHire currently lists 65 open roles at 19 of these organisations.
Routes they are licensed for
| Route | Organisations |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 193 |
| Government Authorised Exchange | 112 |
| Creative Worker | 24 |
| Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker | 19 |
| International Sportsperson | 18 |
| Charity Worker | 6 |
| Tier 2 Ministers of Religion | 4 |
| International Agreement | 2 |
| Religious Worker | 1 |
Type and rating
| Type & Rating | Register rows |
|---|---|
| Worker (A rating) | 236 |
| Temporary Worker (A rating) | 147 |
Registered towns with the most of these organisations
| Town | Organisations |
|---|---|
| London | 38 |
| Cambridge | 10 |
| Oxford | 6 |
| Birmingham | 5 |
| Glasgow | 5 |
| Liverpool | 5 |
| Aberdeen | 4 |
| Coventry | 4 |
| Leeds | 4 |
| Plymouth | 3 |
The registered town is the address on the register, often a head office, not every campus.
Most open roles on SponsorHire
| Organisation (name on the register) | Open roles |
|---|---|
| University College Birmingham | 18 |
| University of Exeter | 11 |
| The University of Worcester | 6 |
| Lancaster University | 4 |
| University of Birmingham | 4 |
| The University of Manchester | 3 |
| University of Oxford | 3 |
| University of Suffolk - Dental CIC | 2 |
| Royal Agricultural University | 2 |
| University of Bath | 2 |
Counts are roles live on SponsorHire on 26 October 2026, not each organisation's total hiring. University vacancies are often posted only on their own careers sites, which we do not yet collect.
Limits
- This is a name match. It includes organisations that are not universities but have the word in their name, such as students' unions, presses, businesses near campuses and dental practices.
- Many higher-education bodies are registered without the word "University" (for example King's College London, The London School of Economics and Political Science), so the real number of universities on the register is different.
- Some institutions appear under more than one name (for example with and without "The", or with a department such as Human Resources).
- The register changes daily.
GOV.UK publishes the visa rules: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Related: How to check the sponsor register · Is a big brand a licensed sponsor? · All guides
A sponsor licence does not mean a role is sponsored. Not immigration advice.
Source: Home Office, Register of Licensed Sponsors: workers, file dated 23 October 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers. SponsorHire live listings snapshot, 26 October 2026.
SponsorHire publishes facts only and gives no immigration advice. For advice, see the Immigration Advice Authority register.