Rise in First Class degrees awarded

Recent figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that in 2016-17, 26% of students gained a First Class degree, compared with 18% in 2012-13. At Wolverhampton University, the number of "Firsts" has risen from 5% in 2006-7 to 28% in 2016-17; at Liverpool University they rose from 12% to 27% in the same period. Surrey students are evidently the brightest in the UK, as 41% of them received a First Class degree last year, compared with only 33% at Oxford and 32% at Cambridge.

Millennials are reluctant to switch careers

A survey by of 1,000 young workers by Teach First has found that 53% of the "millennial generation" (those born between 1980 and 1999) have remained in the same job sector, with 3 out of 10 not moving on as they worry about starting at entry level in a new sector, or they fear that a career change will not work out. The charity said that the survey disabuses the stereotype of’ "footloose millennials" constantly swapping careers, rather than opting for a job for life and suggests young workers have more in common with prior generations.

Healthy employment prospects for Graduates

The latest edition of What do graduates do? reveals that the graduate labour market in 2016 was in relatively good health. Of the 248,525 UK-domiciled first-degree graduates who responded to the survey: 

• 74.2% of graduates were in employment six months after graduating. 
• Only 5.3% were unemployed - the lowest rate since 1989. 
• 71.3% of employed graduates were in a professional-level job. 
• 21% of graduates went on to full or part-time further study. 
• The average salary for graduates in full-time employment in the UK was £21,776.

Gender differences in Degree course choices

There has been an increase in girls studying STEM subjects at 'A' level over recent years but this has yet to be matched by their degree courses choices. A recent survey of over 100, 000 students revealed the following gender split in undergraduate courses.

BOYS		GIRLS
1. Economics		1. Psychology
2. Law		2. Law
3. Medicine		3. Medicine
4. Computer science		4. History
5. Maths		5. Geography
6. History		6. Criminology
7. Accounting and finance		7. English
8. Mechanical engineering		8. Midwifery
9. Psychology		9. Architecture
10. Physics		10. Maths

The study also showed that there were slightly more male applicants to Russell Group universities than female (46% cf. 43%).

Two-year degrees to be introduced

Jo Johnson, Minister of State, has said that students in England are to be offered degrees in two years with fees 20% less than a three-year course. He said that he wanted to "break the mould" of a system in which three-year degrees have "crowded out" more flexible ways of studying. Students would take the same number of units and have the same amount of teaching and supervision. As well as reduced tuition fees, students will save on a year's living costs and be able to start working a year earlier, a package which Mr Johnson says could cut costs by £25,000.

Rise in unconditional offers

Since 2014, the number of unconditional places offered by universities has risen from 2,985 to 51,615 and of the 259,230 Sixth Form students who applied to university this year, nearly 1:5 received an unconditional offer. The latest figures also show that 10.6% of students predicted to get CCC were given an unconditional offer, compared with just 4.6% of students who were predicted to achieve three A*s. In 2014, unconditional offers were only awarded to exceptional candidates. Further analysis of the data shows that just one quarter of students actually achieved, or exceeded, their predicted grades, suggesting that thousands of guaranteed places were awarded using unreliable predictions.

Students are studying less but working more ...

A major study, involving 36,000 students at 42 universities, has found that the amount of time they give to study has fallen but the amount of time they spend on paid work has risen. The ‘UK Engagement Survey’ found that only 48% of participants spent 11 hours or more a week on independent study, a drop from 52% in 2016. The amount of time spent on timetabled classes has also fallen, with 51% saying they spent 11 hours or more, down from 55%. In contrast, 52% said that they worked during term time, up from 45% last year. The proportion of people who took part in university sports and student societies has also fallen, from 60% to 54%.