Graduates who were the first in their family to go to university have a higher average starting salary than those who were not the first to attend, a survey has found.
Universities UK (UUK) commissioned two surveys with more than 3,500 UK graduates and a similar number of business leaders to “quantify” the value of going to university.
It found that graduates with no prior family history of going to university earned an average starting salary of £30,111, almost £3,000 more than the average starting salary of those whose family members attended university before them (£27,754).
Nearly 60% of business leaders who were the first in their family to attend university said it helped them become senior faster while 51% said it helped fast-track their career, according to UUK.
University of Derby graduate Tamzin Lena Burch, who was first in her family to attend university, said the experience allowed her to “unlock” her potential.
“Going to university changed the trajectory of my life, which you’d expect it would,” she said.
“For me, as a first-generation, neurodiverse student from a working-class background with no A-levels, university steered me onto a path I had no idea was possible for me to take.
