Graduates out-earn peers with same GCSEs but no degree
Newly revised outcomes data show men who studied philosophy and history earned less than non-graduates with similar GCSE grades.
What can GCSE performance tell us about salaries aged 27?
It's LEO, but not as we know it - DK examines the latest attempt to link attainment aged 16 to graduate and non-graduate outcomes.
One in four graduates will lose financially from going to university, IFS estimates
A quarter of UK graduates can expect to be financially worse off after going to university, especially those who take creative or performing arts degrees, according to new estimates by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Degrees still matter – the system around them needs fixing
The public debate about whether university is “worth it” has collapsed into a false binary.
New estimates of the impact of undergraduate degrees on lifetime earnings
How does going to university affect earnings over people’s lifetimes? How much do individuals and taxpayers benefit from people going to university?
‘Choose carefully’: new data shows degree choice drives earnings
Students’ choice of degree subject has a hugely significant impact on their lifetime earnings, according to new research from the IFS.
University graduates £100K better off than peers without degrees
New IFS research suggests going to university is still financially worthwhile for most – but a quarter see negative return.
Higher education study still makes financial sense for most
DK examines what the Institute for Fiscal Studies has done with a few extra years of data on graduate earnings, and on a new approach to comparing graduates to their non-graduate peers.
Higher education can still drive social mobility
New survey findings suggest people are increasingly focusing on graduate outcomes rather than the broader value of higher education as a driver of social mobility.
Laura Trott: ‘we’re not on an anti-university crusade’
Shadow minister says institutions delivering strong graduate outcomes should be better funded, with money taken off those failing to deliver for students.
Scotland and Wales to pilot phone outreach for international graduates
A new graduate outcomes pilot will contact international alumni by telephone from December 2026 as the sector seeks stronger evidence of graduate outcomes beyond the UK.
International Graduate Outcomes: pilot to strengthen data on global graduates
Improving the evidence base on international graduate outcomes remains a key priority for the UK higher education sector.
National productivity and wellbeing is the output of our creative capacity
Creative degrees may not attract the largest graduate salaries, but you can't achieve critical national priorities without creative skills.
Britain doesn't need fewer graduates, it needs better ones
On Monday, a new Policy Exchange report added to the ever-growing pile of literature and comment about whether too many young people are going to university.
‘Unfair and demoralising’: Thousands of graduates earning less than £12.71 an hour five years after leaving university
Tens of thousands of university graduates are earning less than the national living wage five years after finishing their degree, shocking new data shows.
Is it time for a Graduate Excellence Framework?
Graduate outcomes have become one of the defining measures of success in higher education.
Gear change needed but universities are still engines of social mobility
Dr Omar Khan reflects on the growing scepticism about the value of higher education, arguing that while degrees still improve outcomes, action is needed to reduce costs, close equality gaps and better explain universities’ wider social value.
The graduate job market is grim right now – but the data says university is still worth it
Spend ten minutes talking to a soon-to-be graduate about their job search and you might come away convinced that a university degree has become a confidence trick.
87% of 2023/24 graduates in work or further study according to new official statistics
HESA’s Graduate Outcomes survey shows little change in the graduate labour market with a small fall in employment levels 15 months after leaving higher education.
Graduate Outcomes, 2023-24
DK gets beyond the headlines in this year’s graduate outcomes data.