What is the average graduate salary in the UK?
The official median for first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £26,400 one year after graduating, £30,000 after three years and £33,700 after five years, in the 2023–24 tax year (DfE LEO).
The median is the middle value: half of the measured graduates earned more and half earned less. It is used instead of the mean because a small number of very high earners can pull an average upwards.
| Years after graduating | Graduating year | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In sustained employment, further study or both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 2021/22 | £26,400 | £20,500 to £33,300 | 89.5% |
| 3 years | 2019/20 | £30,000 | £23,800 to £38,400 | 89.2% |
| 5 years | 2017/18 | £33,700 | £25,600 to £44,700 | 88.7% |
What is LEO graduate earnings data?
Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data links higher education records with tax records, so it measures what graduates were paid rather than what they said in a survey. The Department for Education publishes it on its Explore education statistics service.
Earnings are for graduates in sustained employment, which DfE defines as paid employment for at least one day in five of the six months from October to March in the tax year. PAYE earnings are annualised, and self-employed income is included where it was reported.
CourseToJob uses LEO for its subject and university figures. It does not use the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey, which is a separate source.
What does the middle half mean in graduate salary data?
The middle half is the range between the lowest-earning quarter and the highest-earning quarter of graduates. Five years after graduating it ran from £25,600 to £44,700, so a quarter earned less than £25,600 and a quarter earned more than £44,700.
Looking at the range stops you reading the median as a typical personal outcome. Pay within one subject can vary widely too, depending on the job, the region and the hours worked.
Why is graduate pay higher five years after graduating?
The 1, 3 and 5-year figures are for different groups of graduates, all measured in the same tax year. The gap reflects experience and differences between those groups; it is not one person’s pay rise.
In the 2023–24 data, the one-year figure is for people who graduated in 2021/22, the three-year figure for 2019/20 graduates and the five-year figure for 2017/18 graduates. Each group finished university in different conditions.
So £26,400 rising to £33,700 is not a guaranteed path. It shows what different graduating years were earning at the same point in time.
Which degree subjects have the highest graduate salaries?
Among detailed subjects with at least 100 graduates, the highest median five years after graduating was dentistry at £59,900, and the lowest was creative arts and design (non-specific) at £22,000 (DfE LEO, tax year 2023–24).
These are raw outcomes. DfE notes that they are not adjusted for prior attainment or other differences between students. LEO also cannot tell full-time from part-time work, and self-employed income is only included where reported, so keep those limits in mind when comparing subjects.
| Subject group | Median earnings after 5 years | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Dentistry | £59,900 | Among the highest |
| Medicine (non-specific) | £56,400 | Among the highest |
| Engineering (non-specific) | £52,300 | Among the highest |
| Economics | £51,200 | Among the highest |
| Building | £49,000 | Among the highest |
| Statistics | £48,300 | Among the highest |
| Music | £25,600 | Among the lowest |
| Drama | £25,600 | Among the lowest |
| Dance | £24,500 | Among the lowest |
| Art | £23,800 | Among the lowest |
| Creative arts and design (non-specific) | £22,000 | Among the lowest |
What does graduate salary data not tell you?
LEO does not tell you what you will earn, what a job pays at the start, what you take home after tax, or whether a university teaches well. It describes past groups of graduates.
- It cannot tell full-time from part-time work, so lower medians can partly reflect hours worked
- It only includes people who meet the sustained employment definition
- It covers UK-domiciled graduates, so it is not a forecast for international students
- Subject-level data covers English providers plus higher education institutions in Scotland and Wales
- Small groups are suppressed, so some subjects or universities have no figure
- It is not adjusted for entry grades or other differences between students
- It looks back, so it cannot show changes in the job market since the tax year measured
Why are some graduate salary figures missing?
A figure can be missing because DfE suppressed a small group, or because there is no matching subject group in the data. Missing does not mean zero, and CourseToJob does not fill gaps with estimates or neighbouring subjects.
If a subject has no figure, read the closest related subjects as rough context only, and use the subject page for career paths and skills.
Can I compare universities using graduate salary data?
With care. CourseToJob university pages show provider-level LEO earnings by subject area, but the figures are not adjusted for entry grades or region, so they are not a quality ranking.
A university in a high-wage region, or one that admits students with higher entry grades, may show higher earnings for reasons that have little to do with teaching. Compare the same subject area across universities, treat small differences cautiously, and weigh the figures alongside course content and support.
How should international students use UK graduate salary data?
As background only. LEO covers UK-domiciled graduates, so it says nothing about international graduates’ outcomes, visa eligibility or pay in another country.
Work visa salary rules are set separately by the Home Office and depend on the job. Check the GOV.UK guidance, and plan your finances without relying on UK earnings after you graduate.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good graduate salary in the UK?
There is no official definition of a good graduate salary. As a benchmark, the median for first-degree graduates in the 2023–24 tax year was £26,400 one year after graduating and £33,700 after five years (DfE LEO). Compare any offer with figures for your subject and the cost of living where you will work.
Is LEO data the same as the Graduate Outcomes survey?
No. LEO uses tax records to measure earnings, while Graduate Outcomes is a separate HESA survey of graduates. CourseToJob uses LEO and does not use Graduate Outcomes survey data.
Does LEO include self-employed graduates?
Yes, where self-employed income was reported. LEO earnings combine annualised PAYE earnings with reported self-employment income for graduates in sustained employment.
Is the one-year LEO figure a starting salary?
No. It is the median annualised earnings in the 2023–24 tax year of people who graduated in 2021/22. It is not a starting salary offer, and LEO cannot tell full-time from part-time work.
Can I use LEO data to predict my own salary?
No. LEO describes the past earnings of groups of UK-domiciled graduates. Your pay will depend on your job, location, hours, experience and the job market when you graduate.
Which years does the latest LEO release cover?
The release published on 25 June 2026 covers the 2023–24 tax year. It measures 2021/22 graduates one year on, 2019/20 graduates three years on and 2017/18 graduates five years on.