Alternative University League Table: Imperial beats Oxbridge when it comes to graduate salaries

• Alternative University League Table reveals Imperial College as offering the most valuable degrees, with its grads earning the largest average salaries in their first year of graduation
• All top 10 most valuable universities are Russell Group members, with these grads seeing the highest immediate earning potential
• 50% of top 10 most valuable UK universities aren’t in the top 10 of The Complete University Guide’s League table, suggesting grads from lower-scoring universities can climb the salary ladder

With the academic year having just started, job search engine Adzuna.co.uk has released the Alternative University League Table revealing which top 10 universities give their graduates the highest salaries.

Despite Cambridge and Oxford achieving first and second spot on The Complete University Guide*,Imperial College London is revealed as the UK’s most valuable university, with its graduates earning an average salary of £37,931 in their first year post-graduation - almost £5,000 above King’s College London (£33,077) in second place.

Following those who studied at Imperial and King’s College London taking first and second position respectively, graduates from Oxford (£32,374), University College London (£31,708) and Cambridge (£31,447) completed the top 5 of the graduate salary stakes.

The Adzuna.co.uk study, conducted in September 2018 from over 155,000 CVs**, revealed that the top ten most valuable universities to have on your CV are members of the prestigious Russell Group. However, only half of these 10 universities which came up top for salaries made it into the top 10 on The Complete University Guide: with Exeter (12th), Bristol (15th), York (21st), Edinburgh (23rd) and King’s College London (26th) all missing the mark.

Alternative League Table: Top 10 Most Valuable UK Universities

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, commented: “For those students who are salary-minded, the Alternative University League Table is a great resource, especially as almost all UK universities are charging maximum tuition fees of £9,000 a year. Students concerned with getting the best bang for their buck should look outside the traditional league tables.

“Despite the power of the right university on your CV boosting your salary, students should not automatically assume Oxbridge to be best. Our research shows other universities, like Imperial College London, can deliver serious earning potential, commanding at least £5,557 more a year on average than Oxbridge. And, even those universities with lower rankings in The Complete University Guide, such as King’s College, which sits at 26th place, offers the second best salary. For savvy students looking ahead to their career these resources can help make an informed decision, not just for their university enjoyment, but for their future success.”