Business
What can you do with an Accounting and Finance degree?
Quick answer
An Accounting and Finance degree commonly leads to roles such as accounts assistant, audit associate and finance analyst (entry). Five years after graduating, Accounting and Finance graduates had median earnings of £37,700 (middle half: £28,500–£51,600), and 87.5% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Business and management graduates is professional, scientific and technical services (16.8% of those in work).
Accounting and finance degrees cover reporting, control, and markets. Professional exams usually continue after graduation. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £25,600
- Median pay after 5 years
- £37,700
- In work or study after 5 years
- 87.5%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 46 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 3,990
On this page
What jobs can you get with an Accounting and Finance degree?
Graduates commonly start as accounts assistant, audit associate, finance analyst (entry) or tax associate (entry). Accounting and Finance also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Accounts assistant
Posts transactions, chases invoices, and prepares packs for a qualified accountant.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- purchase ledger
- bank recs
- VAT support
Audit associate
Skills these adverts often ask for
- sampling
- workpapers
- client requests
Finance analyst (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- variance notes
- month-end
- forecast tabs
Tax associate (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- return checklists
- client queries
- deadlines
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Accounting and Finance graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Business and management graduates in UK employment were professional, scientific and technical services (16.8%), wholesale and retail (12.8%) and finance and insurance (9.9%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was wholesale and retail (15.3%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 16.8% | £39,900 |
| Wholesale and retail | 12.8% | £31,800 |
| Finance and insurance | 9.9% | £45,000 |
| Administrative and support services | 9.7% | £33,300 |
| Information and communication | 9.4% | £44,700 |
| Education | 6% | £30,000 |
| Health and social work | 5.6% | £28,500 |
| Manufacturing | 5% | £39,500 |
Most common specific industries
- Computer programming; consultancy and related activities — 5.7% of graduates in work, median £46,100
- Accounting; bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy — 5.1% of graduates in work, median £42,800
- Management consultancy activities — 3.9% of graduates in work, median £41,700
- Monetary intermediation — 3.7% of graduates in work, median £45,400
- Advertising — 2.7% of graduates in work, median £38,100
- Not known — 2.6% of graduates in work, median £12,800
How much do Accounting and Finance graduates earn?
Official dataAccounting and Finance graduates had median earnings of £25,600 one year after graduating and £37,700 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £25,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £21,600–£30,700 | 87.4% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £30,700DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,900–£39,500 | 89.1% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £37,700DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £28,500–£51,600 | 87.5% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £45,800DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £30,700–£67,700 | 83.9% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Business and management graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Business and management graduates measured, London School of Economics had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£66,200), followed by University of Bath (£64,400) and University of Warwick (£60,000).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| London School of Economics | £66,200 | 55 |
| University of Bath | £64,400 | 205 |
| University of Warwick | £60,000 | 100 |
| University of Bristol | £59,700 | 65 |
| Durham University | £55,600 | 185 |
| Loughborough University | £55,600 | 290 |
| University of Reading | £55,600 | 310 |
| University of Exeter | £54,900 | 220 |
| University of Nottingham | £54,900 | 345 |
| City St George's, University of London | £54,200 | 190 |
Is Accounting and Finance the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You like double-entry logic and reconciliations that actually balance.
- You want a path toward professional accountancy or finance exams.
- You are comfortable with spreadsheets as a daily tool.
It may not suit you if
- You hoped to avoid rules, standards, and audit trails.
- You dislike precise numerical work.
- You wanted a purely qualitative management course.
Interview questions for Accounting and Finance graduate roles
EditorialAccounts, audit and tax-associate interviews usually test accuracy, ethics, and whether you can explain a number. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
A trial balance does not balance by £20. What is your method?
What it tests. A checklist, not panic and not ignoring a ‘small’ difference.
A client asks you to backdate an invoice. What do you do?
What it tests. Professional ethics: you escalate; you do not ‘just this once’.
Explain depreciation to a non-finance manager.
What it tests. Concept in plain English, not a standards dump.
You are given a bank rec with unmatched items. How do you start?
What it tests. Timing differences versus real errors.
Why might two ‘profit’ figures both be true?
What it tests. Definitions: gross versus operating, timing, and one-offs.
Most Accounting and Finance courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Accounting and Finance graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to accounting and finance. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Accounts assistant…
Prepare your application with accountant cv examples, financial analyst cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Accounting and Finance?
EditorialAccountancy and tax apprenticeships are a common workplace alternative or complement. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
These intake-specific records have been checked against official course pages. They are separate from the broader editorial subject links.
- Accounting and Finance BSc at University of Bath — September 2027
- Accounting and Finance BSc at University of York — September 2027
- Accounting and Finance BSc at Lancaster University — September 2027
- Accounting and Finance MSc at University of Portsmouth — September 2027
Explore the programme finder · Compare programme details · Research international scholarships
Make your next move
Planning to study Accounting and Finance in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for Accounting and Finance in our index
125 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Accounting and Finance in the full university explorer.
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Accounting and Finance degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with an Accounting and Finance degree?
Common starting roles include accounts assistant, audit associate, finance analyst (entry) and tax associate (entry). Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Business and management graduates in work were professional, scientific and technical services (16.8%), wholesale and retail (12.8%) and finance and insurance (9.9%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Accounting and Finance graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Accounting and Finance graduates of £25,600 one year after graduating, £30,700 three years after graduating, £37,700 five years after graduating and £45,800 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is an Accounting and Finance degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 87.5% of Accounting and Finance graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £37,700. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Accounting and Finance 46 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Business and management graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Business and management were at London School of Economics (£66,200), University of Bath (£64,400) and University of Warwick (£60,000). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Accounting and Finance in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.