It’s been another remarkable year for the university, we placed 42nd in The Guardian's latest university rankings, more than 9,000 LJMU students graduated in Liverpool and overseas, and we joined the city in celebrating a summer of science and music.
We launched a new research centre, celebrated our brilliant staff members, and were ranked as a first-class university for sustainability.
From dinosaurs to stress reduction, our innovative research continues to make waves around the world and 2025 became another award-winning year, with two Times Higher Education Awards, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education and more!
Take a look back at just some of our highlights of an incredible year.
January: celebrating 200 years of art and 50 years of sport and exercise science
2025 saw the university kick-start the year by marking two big celebrations at LJMU; 200 years of the Liverpool School of Art and 50 years of the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
Meanwhile our nutrition students worked with Kirkby residents and the community to fight back against obesity launching a new community-created cookbook.
The university also announced four corporate charity partnerships; with Claire House Children’s Hospice, The Girls’ Network, Micah Liverpool, Local Solutions, to support their work on making a difference in the Liverpool City Region.
February: health and wellbeing focus
More than 100 activities were held on campus throughout February for students and staff as part of the university’s wellbeing month to focus on health and wellbeing. LJMU journalism graduate Andrew Spence also got the remarkable career opportunity, to interview Prime Minister Keir Starmer as art of his role as a local democracy reporter, just months before graduating.
March: double honorary fellowships awarded
We awarded golfing legend Tommy Fleetwood and internationally renowned artist Christopher Le Brun honorary fellowships at LJMU’s spring graduations. In an inspirational ceremony to hundreds of LJMU students and their families and friends, Tommy encouraged the new LJMU graduates present to remember “your journey is your journey only” and to “be the best person you can be.”
April: Community Law Clinic wins national award
LJMU was recognised with a National Award for our Pro Bono Windrush Community Law Clinic. The Windrush Community Law Clinic, which is run by staff, students and local legal firms, offers free advice to people seeking redress or status from the government and provides two-fold support to people eligible for the Windrush Compensation Scheme (WCS), of which there are suspected to be around 1,200 in the Merseyside area.
LJMU also welcomed hundreds of international students onto campus as part of our partnership with upGrad. Students from countries around the world, spent time at the university during a series of immersive visits throughout early 2025 and April, exploring research projects and celebrating their academic achievements.
May: students interview music legend for BBC Radio 1
Six LJMU students got the experience of a lifetime, when they interviewed music icon Miley Cyrus, for the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, alongside host Greg James. The students who are part of the John Moores Student Radio Society got the opportunity as part of Radio 1’s Big Weekend coverage taking place in Sefton Park, Liverpool. The students also gifted Greg James an LJMU branded bucket hat, making him an official honorary member of Team LJMU.
June: charity event alongside Chancellor, Nisha Katona
We officially launched our Global Centre for Maritime Innovation bringing together research, education, and knowledge exchange, within the maritime sector, which the UK maritime minister hailed as 'world-leading' following a visit to campus this summer.
We came 2nd in the UK in the ‘Uni Compare Top 100’ for the second year running and our Student Futures; careers, employability and start-up services won a national award for its innovative work supporting students to give them the best possible employability outcomes.
We also joined our Chancellor Nisha Katona at the Mowgli Dog Show, in aid of Claire House Children’s Hospice, to showcase our research and study options at the university.
July: summer of graduations
More than 5,000 LJMU students graduated from Liverpool in our July graduation ceremonies with hundreds more graduating from our international partner institutions around the world in 2025. We also celebrated student satisfaction at LJMU rising across all seven themes with the National Student Survey 2025 results.
August: LJMU’s latest National Teaching Fellow
Dr Ian Sadler, an academic in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences was announced as LJMU’s latest National Teaching Fellow for his outstanding contribution to teaching and learning.
August also saw LJMU innovative research, linking the effects between dehydration and stress, receive substantial international media coverage. The new study highlights how people who drink less than the recommended daily fluid intake, experience a greater stress hormone response, which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and depression.
September: science takes over Liverpool
We co-hosted the British Science Festival in Liverpool alongside the British Science Association and the University of Liverpool, delivering more than 100 free events and activities over five days and attracting 17,500 visitors across the city.
October: latest research walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs
LJMU researchers helped uncover a huge dinosaur trackway in Oxfordshire from 160m years ago. Working alongside the palaeontology team from Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History, LJMU researchers helped to uncover the extraordinary site which is one of the longest trackways found anywhere in the world.
November: award-winning November
It was an award-winning month in November, with the university being awarded the highest honour in education in recognition of its pioneering Face Lab work with the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education.
The university was also recognised with a double award win at the Times Higher Education Awards 2025 for:
Business School of the Year
Outreach Initiative of the Year
December: university confirmed as key driver of economic growth
Independent research found LJMU delivers more than £470m to the Liverpool City Region Economy and almost £900m to the UK every year.
The report by independent researchers analysed data and carried out surveys to assess the economic and social impact of the university’s activities locally and nationally and confirmed the university as a key driver of economic growth, social mobility, and community engagement.
Finishing December on a high note, LJMU leapt up to 15th in the rankings in the 2025/26 People and Planet League and was officially ranked as a first-class university for sustainability.
Find out more about LJMU and our key achievements: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/news/articles/2025/12/18/2025-highlights-at-ljmu
For the latest news, research and updates on LJMU, visit our news pages or find out more about our key achievements and impact across the city and around the world.
