REVEALED: The university degrees most likely to land you a high salary – and the ones that could leave you on low pay YEARS after you graduate
- New Study reveals the highest and lowest paying degrees one, three, five and TEN years after graduating.
- STEM graduates earn the most while Humanities and Liberal Arts graduates will earn just £22,800 TEN YEARS after completing their course.
- Only 6% of subjects result in first year graduate salaries of the UK average wage or above
- Where does your course rank? Are you above or below the average for your peers?
With exams out the way and a long summer of freedom ahead, prospective graduates across the country are looking forward to finding out whether they’ve been successful with their applications for their chosen course and University.
But with University tuition fees at an all-time high, which courses give you the best chance of employment and which result in the highest future earnings? Is University even worth the money?
The data team at Satsuma have crunched the numbers to find out.
Which degrees give you the best and worst chance of getting a job straight after graduating?
With 97.5% entering into further study or sustained employment within the first year of leaving university, graduates in the field of Medicine and Dentistry are the most likely to be in full time work or education after completing their course.
Closely following behind in second place is the subject of Nursing, with 95.2% of graduates either entering the workplace or staying on for extra study within one year of completing their course.
The table below reveals the top 5 degrees that result in the highest percentage of graduates employed within 1 year
| Subject | Employment % one year after graduation (ranked) | Employment % ten years after graduation |
| Medicine & Dentistry | 97.5 | 85 |
| Nursing | 95.2 | 89.1 |
| Veterinary Science | 93.6 | 85.1 |
| Education and Teaching | 91.7 | 85.6 |
| Subjects allied to medicine | 91.3 | 84.7 |
Graduates with degrees in Languages, Linguistics and Classics are the least likely to find sustained employment or further educational opportunities with just 79.8% being in full time work or study one year after graduating.
The table below reveals the bottom 5 degrees that result in the lowest percentage of graduates employed within 1 year
| Subject | Employment % one year after graduation (ranked) | Employment % ten years after graduation |
| Languages, linguistics and classics | 79.8 | 75.8 |
| Philosophy and religious studies | 82.4 | 80.2 |
| Politics | 82.7 | 80.7 |
| Communications and media | 83.2 | 84.1 |
| Humanities and liberal arts (non-specific) | 83.2 | 71.1 |
To view the full list of degrees and their employment opportunities one, three, five and ten years after graduation please visit: https://www.satsumaloans.co.uk/studying-for-success/
Which degrees pay you the most and the least after graduating?
It’s bad news for Creative Arts and Design graduates, five years after leaving University the average salary is just £20,500 per annum – that’s £7,100 LESS than the current UK average salary of £27,600.
Agriculture graduates earn the second lowest after five years, pulling in just £21,700. Humanities and Liberal Arts students earn the third lowest five years after completing their course on £21,800.
The table below breaks down the top 5 lowest paying degrees:
| Subject | One year after graduation | Three years after graduation | Five years after graduation (ranked) | Ten years after graduation |
| Creative Arts and Design | £14,900 | £18,500 | £20,500 | £23,300 |
| Agriculture and related subjects | £17,300 | £19,500 | £21,700 | £25,100 |
| Humanities and Liberal Arts | £17,800 | £19,100 | £21,800 | £22,800 |
| Health and Social Care | £20,100 | £21,700 | £22,700 | £27,100 |
| Sociology and Social Policy | £17,100 | £21,000 | £23,200 | £26,400 |
| Media Studies | £16,500 | £20,300 | £23,200 | £26,600 |
| Psychology | £17,100 | £20,700 | £23,200 | £26,600 |
At the other end of the spectrum, Medicine and Dentistry students once again top the pile, earning £47,100 five years after graduation; followed by Economics graduates (£40,200) and Engineering graduates (£34,300).
The table below breaks down the top 5 highest paying degrees:
| Subject | One year after graduation | Three years after graduation | Five years after graduation (ranked) | Ten years after graduation |
| Medicine & Dentistry | £36,600 | £43,000 | £47,100 | £53,300 |
| Economics | £26,000 | £32,000 | £40,200 | £49,800 |
| Engineering | £26,500 | £30,800 | £34,300 | £41,200 |
| Mathematical Sciences | £24,000 | £28,300 | £33,900 | £40,400 |
| Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy | £24,200 | £29,700 | £33,700 | £31,600 |
To find out more information and to see how you are doing versus the average for your course, please visit https://www.satsumaloans.co.uk/studying-for-success/
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