Recent UK Graduates Remain Happy With University Choice Despite Job Market Worries

Gloomy headlines might claim that a degree is less worthwhile than it once was, but one sliver of good news is that the most recent graduates don’t regret their time on campus.

When those who graduated in the summer of 2024 were surveyed 15 months later, more than eight out of 10 said they would still go to university ahead of any other option, despite a media drumbeat of pessimism about graduate jobs and increasing levels of student debt.

Matt Hiely-Rayner, an analyst who compiles the Guardian’s University Guide, says the new data supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, was positive news. “Very few students say they would do something different than go to university – only about 20% of graduates say they would do something completely different.

“And the proportion who are happy with the provider they selected has stayed strong and has actually gone up slightly this year, suggesting that people were more satisfied with their choice.”

But fewer of the recent graduates appeared to be happy with their choice of subject, with just 70% saying they would stick with their original subject.

“Even that is relatively good, there hasn’t been a collapse, which is interesting because we’ve seen positive outcomes around graduate jobs continue to come down faster than in previous years,” says Hiely-Rayner. “So with hindsight, 15 months after graduation, students are more likely to regret their subject choice than they are going to university at all or which institution they went to.”

According to the latest data, the University of Bath’s graduates were happiest with their choice of institution, leaping above its rivals at Oxbridge and the Russell Group of research universities. The top five universities clustered around 90% of their graduates saying they remain happy with their choice, with just 0.8 of a percentage point separating Bath at the top from Oxford in fifth place.

But that happiness doesn’t extend to subject choices – with dissatisfaction visible even among most highly selective professional courses that offer well-paid graduate careers.

Fifteen months after graduation, fewer dentists, vets and paramedics than in the previous year said they would choose the same course, while architecture and computer science have fallen out of the top 10 in terms of course satisfaction.

The fall in computer science may be linked to the way AI has replaced entry-level jobs, as well as early career employment opportunities not being as abundant as they once were. Four years ago, 66% of computer science students went on to graduate-level employment but the latest figures show just 56% did so.

AI may also be harming the career prospects of graduates who studied animation and game design, who are now among the least enthusiastic about their career choices. Fewer than two out of three animation and game design graduates would choose the same course again, putting it in the same league as journalism, marketing and PR graduates for highest levels of regret.

The latest data also highlighted a surprising fall in satisfaction in economics, which regularly tops league tables for graduate pay and has seen a surge in interest among A-level students and university applicants.

This may reflect the fact that not all economics courses are created equal, says Hiely-Rayner. “Economics has always been quite a secure one [in terms of graduate jobs]. It seems like a safe bet, but the proportion who are getting a job varies by institution.”