Graduates from wealthy homes are better paid

Graduates from wealthy backgrounds earn thousands more than peers from poorer households despite studying the same degrees at the same universities, a major new report has found.

According to the research, students who come from the richest 20 per cent of households earn around 10 per cent more in the workplace 10 years after graduating.

This equates to an average £3,300 extra for men and £2,100 for women, when taking into account the university and subject studied.

 

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The findings raised fresh concerns that not enough is being done to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain the networks needed to progress into top careers.

Dr Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of education foundation, the Sutton Trust, said that the report highlighted why social mobility remained “poor in the UK”.

“Students from better-off backgrounds are more likely to go to universities and take subjects with better career prospects,” he said. “But even allowing for these choices, they still earn more which suggests that we all need to redouble efforts to improve the networks available to undergraduates, their access to internships and their access to skills valued by employers.”

Read her full report here