News13 August 2026
Against a national backdrop where over one million 16-24 year olds are NEET and 39% of graduates are unemployed 15 months after graduation, Ada demonstrates a clear, high-impact alternative for its learners. Through Ada’s specialised digital curriculum and deep industry integration, students are entering the workforce skilled, confident, and workplace ready.
Pioneering Tech Careers Without the Debt
This year, 13% of Ada’s graduating sixth form cohort have secured prestigious apprenticeships with leading tech employers, enabling them to earn a wage and gain a degree simultaneously without accumulating student loan debt. We also have 11 students in their final stages of apprenticeship recruitment, so the final percentage could be anywhere up to 25%.
Ada remains the Top Sixth Form for Computing in the country and the Class of 2026 has once again delivered outstanding results across A Levels and technical qualifications, securing a 100% overall pass rate across all A Level subjects, the Computer Science Diploma, and T Level courses.
We are delighted that for those who have chosen to progress to university, the vast majority are going on to study computing or related disciplines, many with industrial placement years built in.
2026 Key Result Highlights:
- T Level Success: In the first full-cohort results, 35% of T Level students achieved a Distinction or Distinction*, an exceptionally rare feat nationally. 88% achieved a Merit or above. In UCAS terms, six students achieved the equivalent of AAA or higher, with one achieving the equivalent of A*A*A*.
- Outstanding A Level Performance: Alongside a 100% pass rate across the board, Ada students excelled in quantitative subjects, with 83% of Further Maths students and 70% of Maths students achieving A*-B grades. We’re also delighted that our overall A-level results have improved for the 4th year in a row with 72% A*-C and 44% A*-B.
- Diverse Destinations: While 91% of students applied to higher education institutions to continue their digital journeys, 13% of graduates bypassed traditional university routes entirely to secure apprenticeships at world-leading companies including Amazon, BAE Systems, BBC, Leonardo, and Akeso. (Notably, seven of these Apprenticeships were secured by the T Level cohort alone).
- Computer Science Excellence: 76% of students achieved Higher Grades (At least one Distinction) in their BTEC Computing Diploma—an impressive 15% increase from 2025. 92% of the cohort achieved Merits and above, continuing Ada’s reputation for national excellence in digital education.
- Overall Pass Rate: A flawless 100% pass rate was achieved across all A Level subjects, the Computer Science Diploma, and the T Level in Digital Production, Design & Development.
Empowering the Next Generation of Tech Leaders
Mark Smith, Founder & CEO at Ada commented:
“At a time when young people are rightfully concerned about graduate debt and job prospects, our learners continue to prove that an industry-focused education opens doors. Securing degree apprenticeships at some of the world’s top tech companies is a life-changing achievement as is gaining entry to a top-tier university. We are immensely proud of our students’ hard work, and deeply grateful to our donors and industry partners for their support in making these transformational pathways possible. We can confidently say that Ada is the FE college WHERE TECH CAREERS BEGIN”
Ada’s success in educating and empowering the next generation of diverse digital talent is made possible through an extremely dedicated teaching and pastoral team and strong collaboration with its network of donors, corporate partners, and mentors who provide real-world industry experience, guest lectures, coaching through industry volunteers and high-value work placements.
For more information on our mission to transform digital education and diversify the tech industry, go here.