Graduates earn about a third more

Universities UK has just confirmed what you probably already suspected - graduates earn more than non-graduates. A lot more. So, if you’re thinking of coming to study at the University of Bolton, this might just be all the motivation you need to apply. Let’s dive into their analysis and see what it means for you.

What was the research?
Universities UK looked at the employment and earnings of graduates to show the impact of these skills across the country and how their earnings compare to those of non-graduates. For this research, they included student and tax records, official government Labour market data and other sources to compare the outcomes of graduates to other employees in the UK. Their findings were clear: Graduates earn about a third more than non-graduates who could have gone to uni but didn’t.

They found that “Graduates on average earn more than wider employees, ten years after
graduation, across nearly all regional industries.” So, no matter what role you go into, you can be pretty confident that you’ll be a good earner in England, not long after university. That is, of course, if you actually enroll and come to learn at a university like Bolton…

Why does it take a couple of years?
From 17 and 22, non-graduates do very well. That’s because they’re in the workforce while most graduates are in full-time study. However, from 23 years old and up, the average earnings of graduates overtake those of non-graduates and by 31, on average, graduates earn around a third more (32-37%) than non-graduates who could have gone to a university like Bolton. And their salaries continue to go up at a faster rate too.

What about the kinds of jobs graduates get?
This part is really interesting; they’re mostly highly skilled jobs related to what they went to university for. The report says that “graduates are nearly 3 times more likely to be in high-skilled employment than non-graduates” and “for many degrees, the subject of study is directly related to the industry a graduate goes onto work in.” This is a big factor for why graduate earnings have been higher (by around £10,500) for the past 16 years. So, not only do you have a good chance of getting a well-paid job after you graduate but your earnings will increase faster over a longer period, doing highly-skilled work that’s likely to be related to what you went to university to learn. Win-win-win!

Be a part of this future
These positive trends for graduates don’t look to be changing any time soon either, so why don’t you come be a part of that success story? We have a wide range of courses in sectors like creative, business and life sciences where graduate skills are particularly in demand. Pick up the phone and have a quick chat with our helpful team at 01204 903 394 or email admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk and start your journey. At Bolton, we’re delivering #UniAsItShouldBe so you can build a profitable career for decades to come.