THE RISE OF FIRST-CLASS DEGREES
More students than ever are graduating university with top honours
THE proportion of students graduating with first-class honours is at its highest level on record.
More than a quarter of full-time UK students graduated last year with a first, with experts calling the current grading system “a blunt instrument”.
First-class honours are given to students who score 70 per cent or higher in their degree and are the highest academic achievement undergraduates can be awarded.
But just seven per cent of students were awarded this degree in 1995 - the earliest year in which figures are available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
That rose to 26 per cent 2017.
It means nearly four times as many students are graduating with first-class honours compared to 22 years ago.
Half of all students last year graduated with a 2:1 - up from 42 per cent in 1995.
Those awarded a 2:1 will have achieved between 60 and 69 per cent in their degree. Most graduate jobs reserved exclusively for those who have a degree - recommend applicants have at least a 2:1 in their degree.
The number of students getting lower marks has fallen as higher marks have risen. While 36 per cent got a 2:2 in 1995, that had fallen to 20 per cent last year. The proportion getting a Third is down from 15 per cent to just four per cent. A spokesperson for Universities UK, which represents higher education establishments: “The sector has recognised for some time that the current degree classification system is a blunt instrument, hence the trialling in recent years of the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) and grade point average system at a number of universities. “Degree classification is a matter for individual institutions and degrees are awarded based on assessment by academics, internal and external moderation and sector-wide frameworks to ensure that high standards are upheld.
“The sector has changed significantly in recent years, with universities putting more emphasis on the quality of teaching and investing in technology and learning support, alongside the fact that with higher fees students may be working harder to achieve higher grades. “Universities UK is carrying out further work with higher education organisations to explore how the sector defines degree classification boundaries and evaluating the causes of the increasing proportion of good degrees awards. It is important that students, employers and the public have confidence in the degree classification system and academic standards.”