The number of universities ending recruitment relationships with the fossil fuel industry has increased by 80% in the last year. That’s according to new research from the UK’s largest student campaigning charity People & Planet.
Universities taking a stand over recruitment
Since the start of 2025, eight UK universities have committed to excluding oil, gas and mining companies from their careers and recruitment activities. This brings the total number of those that have made such a commitment to 18.
People & Planet’s 2025-26 University League uncovered the pledges. It’s a comprehensive annual ranking of all UK universities by sustainability and ethics criteria.
These commitments come after years of pressure from students organising as part of Fossil Free Careers. This was a nationwide campaign that People & Planet coordinated.
The campaign demands university careers services adopt an Ethical Careers Policy. This would exclude oil, gas and mining companies from recruitment relationships, in order to “end recruitment pipelines” into extractive industries.
The latest eight universities to ban fossil fuel industry recruitment are: the University of Bradford, Bath Spa University, the University of South Wales, York St John University, the University of Roehampton, Norwich University of the Arts, the Royal College of Music, and Arts University Bournemouth.
Many have made additional commitments that they will no longer collaborate with arms, mining and tobacco companies.
“Stop funnelling graduates into dead-end jobs”
Josie Mizen, Co-Director of Climate Justice at People & Planet, says:
We’re delighted to see a huge increase in the number of universities ending their recruitment relationships with the fossil fuel industry.
As the impacts of the climate crisis become ever more severe, it’s clear that the companies destroying whole communities and ecosystems for the sake of profit have no place in our educational institutions, and that their systematic funnelling of graduates into dead-end jobs has to stop immediately.
Students standing in solidarity with workers and frontline communities have made this progress possible – we look forward to many more universities banning fossil fuel recruiters next year.
Fossil Free Careers campaign victories prior to 2025 have included the University of Swansea, the University of Bedfordshire, and Aberystwyth University. The campaign has endorsements from the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), as well as from 29 campus-based Students’ and Worker Union branches.
Emma Adamson, Director of Student Life at the University of South Wales, said, regarding recruitment relationships:
Our commitment is informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act; and we have chosen to exclude fossil fuel and mining organisations from our employability activities.
This decision reflects our responsibility to champion opportunities that contribute positively to society, the environment, and the wellbeing of future generations.
Featured image via the Canary
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