One in four graduates from some universities were left unemployed after finishing their degrees last summer, research has revealed.
Almost 25,000 students across the country have been left without a job after finishing their courses, following a squeeze on graduate vacancies.
According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters, graduate vacancies dropped by 8.9% last year and are predicted to fall by nearly 7% this year.
But new statistics, released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, show more than 25% of graduates from London Metropolitan University and London South Bank University were not in full-time education or employment six months after leaving university.
The figures also highlighted the gulf between universities at the top and bottom of the league tables, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
Just one in 20 University of Cambridge graduates was left unemployed last summer, while 93% of graduates from the University of Oxford and University of Nottingham were able to find work.
Across the UK, more than one in 10 students who left university last summer failed to find work after six months – the highest unemployment rate for 10 years.
Specialist subjects where found to give students the best chance of finding work, with 99% of medicine, dentistry and veterinary science students finding work.
But just 82% of computer science students and 87% of creative arts and design students were able to find a job after graduating.
Tens of thousands of people could also miss out on securing a university place this year following record numbers of applications.