Sciences
What can you do with a Mathematics degree?
Quick answer
A Mathematics degree commonly leads to roles such as data analyst, actuarial analyst (entry) and statistical officer. Five years after graduating, Mathematics graduates had median earnings of £43,600 (middle half: £32,900–£60,000), and 88.9% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Mathematical sciences graduates is finance and insurance (20.4% of those in work).
Mathematics degrees train proof, modelling, and quantitative argument. Graduates often start in data, actuarial, and analysis roles. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £29,600
- Median pay after 5 years
- £43,600
- In work or study after 5 years
- 88.9%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 18 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Finance and insurance
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 5,050
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Mathematics degree?
Graduates commonly start as data analyst, actuarial analyst (entry), statistical officer or research assistant. Mathematics 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.
Data analyst
Cleans data, checks definitions, and produces tables that a decision-maker can use.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- SQL
- statistics
- visualisation
Actuarial analyst (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- spreadsheet models
- exam study
- control checks
Statistical officer
Skills these adverts often ask for
- surveys
- quality notes
- disclosure control awareness
Research assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- proofs or simulations
- LaTeX
- literature
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 Mathematics graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Mathematical sciences graduates in UK employment were finance and insurance (20.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (19.6%) and education (15.7%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was finance and insurance (20.9%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 20.4% | £60,400 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 19.6% | £48,700 |
| Education | 15.7% | £36,600 |
| Information and communication | 14.5% | £49,400 |
| Wholesale and retail | 5.5% | £35,500 |
| Administrative and support services | 4.6% | £44,700 |
| Public administration and defence | 4.5% | £38,800 |
| Manufacturing | 3.1% | £37,000 |
Most common specific industries
- Computer programming; consultancy and related activities — 10.8% of graduates in work, median £49,400
- Secondary education — 8.5% of graduates in work, median £38,100
- Accounting; bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy — 7.6% of graduates in work, median £51,600
- Monetary intermediation — 5.6% of graduates in work, median £62,600
- Activities auxiliary to insurance and pension funding — 4.9% of graduates in work, median £52,700
- Management consultancy activities — 4.8% of graduates in work, median £53,400
How much do Mathematics graduates earn?
Official dataMathematics graduates had median earnings of £29,600 one year after graduating and £43,600 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 | £29,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £23,400–£37,000 | 88.9% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £36,200DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £28,900–£46,800 | 89.6% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £43,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £32,900–£60,000 | 88.9% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £53,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £38,400–£79,800 | 85.9% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Mathematical sciences graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Mathematical sciences graduates measured, Imperial College London had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£74,700), followed by University of Cambridge (£71,200) and University of Oxford (£66,100).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | £74,700 | 70 |
| University of Cambridge | £71,200 | 135 |
| University of Oxford | £66,100 | 115 |
| London School of Economics | £65,500 | 75 |
| University College London | £64,800 | 105 |
| University of Warwick | £60,000 | 335 |
| King's College London | £54,900 | 100 |
| University of Bath | £54,400 | 245 |
| University of St Andrews | £53,100 | 85 |
| University of Surrey | £51,400 | 110 |
Is Mathematics the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You like proving things and then using them.
- You are comfortable with abstraction as well as computation.
- You want a degree that travels across technical employers.
It may not suit you if
- You wanted a computing course that is only coding bootcamps.
- You dislike problem sheets.
- You expected an automatic actuary qualification without further exams.
Interview questions for Mathematics graduate roles
EditorialData, actuarial and statistical-officer interviews usually test whether you can set up a problem and explain an assumption. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
A stakeholder wants a forecast from 12 noisy points. What do you say?
What it tests. You state uncertainty; you do not invent a precise path.
Walk us through how you would check someone else’s spreadsheet.
What it tests. Units, filters, duplicates, and a reconcilable total.
When is a median a better headline than a mean?
What it tests. Skew and outliers, conceptually — not a recalled official earnings cell.
Explain a confidence interval without saying ‘we are 95% sure the true value is in here’ if that is the wrong reading.
What it tests. Whether you notice a common mis-statement.
You find an error in a published internal figure. What is your process?
What it tests. Correction culture: who to tell, what to document.
Most Mathematics 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 Mathematics graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to mathematics. 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 Data analyst…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Mathematics?
EditorialData analyst and actuarial technician apprenticeships exist in some firms. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
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Planning to study Mathematics 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.
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Universities for Mathematics in our index
123 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Mathematics in the full university explorer.
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Mathematics degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Mathematics degree?
Common starting roles include data analyst, actuarial analyst (entry), statistical officer and research assistant. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Mathematical sciences graduates in work were finance and insurance (20.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (19.6%) and education (15.7%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Mathematics graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Mathematics graduates of £29,600 one year after graduating, £36,200 three years after graduating, £43,600 five years after graduating and £53,100 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 a Mathematics degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 88.9% of Mathematics graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £43,600. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Mathematics 18 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 Mathematical sciences graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Mathematical sciences were at Imperial College London (£74,700), University of Cambridge (£71,200) and University of Oxford (£66,100). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Mathematics 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.