PricewaterhouseCoopers voted top company for graduates

Professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been named the UK's top graduate employer.

An annual study by High Fliers Research, published by the Times, interviewed more than 16,000 students from the UK's leading universities to produce the top 100 league table.

Students were asked: Which employer do you think offers the best opportunities for graduates?

This year, graduates named more than 500 employers, with PwC attracting more than 10% of the total - twice as many as second placed firm Deloitte.

Students used a range of criteria to judge employers, from the quality of graduate training and development that employers offer, to the salary and remuneration packages available, or the practical aspects of a first job - such as location or working hours.

Others focused on the employers' reputations - public image, business profile or commercial success - or were influenced by their profile on campus and the calibre of representatives at recruitment events, the research said.

This year's highest climber in the list was Google. Discount retailer Aldi jumped from number 65 in 2002 to number 12 this year - largely as a result of offering £38,000 starting salaries and Audi A4 cars for new graduates.