Students graduating with 'mickey mouse' degrees from polytechnics are earning higher salaries than their peers, research has found.
Courses such as games art and e-sports production can lead to better-paid jobs within five years of graduating than courses at some Russell Group universities.
According to data analysis by Discover Uni, students at Aberystwyth University studying a Bachelor of Arts in computer graphics, vision and games take home an average salary of £34,000 five years later.
While those studying a Bachelor of Sciences in games design from Bournemouth University earn an average salary of £32,000.
At the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, which is run through Nottingham Trent University, graduates of e-sports production earn an average of £31,500 five years later.
But graduates of neuroscience from Nottingham University will earn an average of £30,500, while a law student from Liverpool will take home £29,000.
Craig Chettle, founder of the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I've got no problem with people going to the Russell Group because it's a great thing to do, but it's not the only route.'
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, added: 'It's not only parents but also teachers and ministers who need to end their obsession with the Russell Group.
