The universities where one in three students now get a first

RECORD numbers of students are being awarded first-class degrees.

Last year 24 per cent were given the top award compared with 16 per cent only five years ago.

The figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency will spark fresh debate about grade inflation.

Almost all universities and colleges are giving out a higher proportion of firsts than they were in 2010-11, according to an analysis of official data.

Experts in England have long expressed fears that having students pay higher

‘Some rise is not unreasonable’

‘Debate about grade inflation’

fees – now £9,250 per year south of the Border – encourages them to think of themselves more as customers.

The quango’s analysis found that at ten universities more than onethird of students were given the highest award.

The rise in the proportion of firsts given out has coincided with the fee rise and the increased competition between universities to attract students.

After the UK Government lifted the cap on student numbers, supply of places outstripped demand, creating a buyer’s market. The HESA figures are likely to spark fresh debate about grade inflation, and whether the centuries-old degree classification system is still fit for purpose. The analysis found that at 50 UK universities – roughly a third of the total – at least 25 per cent of degrees awarded in 2015-16 were a first, while at ten institutions, more than a third were given the highest award. By contrast, in 2010-11 only 12 institutions gave at least one in four degrees a first, and only two gave more than a third the top honour.

On average, across all institutions there has been around an eight percentage point rise in firsts in the past five years.

Just seven institutions have seen a fall in the proportion of firsts.

Five universities and colleges have seen the proportion of top honours rise by at least 20 percentage points, while 40 institutions have seen at least a ten-point hike.

The figures, for the academic years 2010-11 and 2015-16, are based on 148 universities and colleges for which there is comparable data, and exclude degrees rated as ‘unclassified’.

Official figures have previously shown that nationally, almost one in four students graduated with a first last year.

Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute said: ‘Some rise is not unreasonable, given that schools have got better and some universities have increased their entry tariffs so they’re getting better quality students.’

But he suggested the impact of university league tables could be fuelling grade inflation.

Many institutions now employ staff to compare their results and data with others, he said, and if a university finds itself slipping down the rankings – for example on the proportion of firsts or 2:1s awarded – there is an incentive to improve this.

A spokesman for vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK said degree classifications are a matter for individual institutions.

She added: ‘Every one of our universities is unique, with a different subject mix, student body, faculties and departments and, of course, different course curricula and content, which makes comparison difficult.

‘But this diversity is valued by students and staff and this is a strength of the UK sector.’