Graduates with good degree from less prestigious university earn more than those with lower-class degree from selective institution
Students are advised to be “more relaxed” about the reputation of the universities they want to attend, after new research revealed they could be better off graduating with a good degree from a less prestigious university than with a lower-class degree from a selective institution.
The report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that graduates in England with first-class or upper second class (2.1) honours degrees had higher average earnings by the age of 30 than those who finished with lower second-class (2.2) awards, regardless of institution – meaning that degree class was often more important than institutional reputation.
