1892: A Lawyer and a Technical School
On September 30, 1892, a school called the “Borough Polytechnic Institute” opened its doors in a building in London’s Elephant & Castle neighborhood. Its founder was a local lawyer named Edric Bayley. He established the school with a single goal in mind: to address the extreme poverty in the area at the time.
The school’s original mission was “to improve the industrial skills, general knowledge, health, and well-being of young men and women.” This was not just a nice-sounding slogan—it was a commitment born out of the slums. Students at that time worked during the day and attended classes at night, learning practical skills that would help them find jobs and change their destinies.
Over the course of more than a century, the school underwent several name changes: in 1970, it became “South Bank Polytechnic”; in 1987, it reverted to “South Bank Polytechnic”; in 1992, it officially gained university status and was renamed “South Bank University”; and in 2003, it was finally named “London South Bank University.”
The name has changed, but that promise from 1892 has never wavered.
Ranked Sixth Globally: How a University Fights Inequality
While most universities rely on rankings to prove their worth, London South Bank University proves itself in a different way—it is itself a practitioner of reducing inequality.
In the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, LSBU ranked sixth globally for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of “reducing inequality.” This ranking measures universities’ actual performance in research on social inequality, anti-discrimination policies, and the recruitment of students and staff from disadvantaged groups.
How exactly does it do this? Here are a few examples: LSBU supports students with disabilities and encourages girls to study STEM subjects; its researchers have launched an award-winning project bringing blood pressure checks to barbershops to serve communities that typically have limited access to healthcare; and its free legal advice clinic provides legal assistance to residents of South London. In 2024, LSBU was also named “University of the Year for Social Inclusion” by the E Daily MailE . We hold a London South Bank University Degree of exceptional value
Even more notably, LSBU itself compiles the “English Social Mobility Index”—an annual report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) that measures the extent to which graduates from UK universities advance in social class. A university that not only helps students achieve social mobility but alsouses data to show the entire country how to do it—such a role is extremely rare across the UK.
Leading Graduate Salaries in the UK: Taking “Practicality” to the Extreme
If “reducing inequality” is the underlying ethos of LSBU, then “employability” is its core strength.
According to the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) data released by the UK Department for Education, LSBU graduates earn the highest salaries among all modern universities in London—a lead that holds true whether one, three, or five years after graduation. One year after graduation, LSBU graduates’ median salary is £31,500, ranking 15th among 176 institutions across the UK.
When broken down by academic discipline, the figures are even more impressive: LSBU’s medical science graduates earn the highest salaries in the UK, architecture graduates rank second highest, health and social care ranks fourth, and nursing and midwifery ranks eighth.
These achievements are no accident. LSBU’s approach involves each student creating a personal development plan from the moment they enroll and tracking their progress with an academic advisor; employability skills are embedded in every course; and teaching is dynamically adjusted based on student feedback. As Vice-Chancellor Professor Tony Moss put it: “Graduates’ success should not depend on where they start.”
From the “Infinite Shed” to London’s Only Anechoic Chamber
In terms of physical infrastructure, LSBU is equally impressive. Over the past three years, the university has invested £65 million in its Southwark campus. Its facilities include film studios, engineering labs, electron microscopes, design workshops, hospital simulation rooms, and London’s only anechoic chamber.
In 2024, the LSBU Hub won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London Award. Additionally, the university launched “Infinite Shed”—a green skills training facility funded by the Mayor of London, designed to support London’s transition to carbon neutrality.
