The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Proportion of first-class degrees handed out by UK universities soars
Local institutions among those seeing a rise
The proportion of firsts handed out by UK universities has soared with a third of institutions now grading at least one in four degrees with the top honour.
In some cases, the proportion has more than doubled in five years.
Dundee University awarded more than 15% more top honours between 2010-11 and last year.
More than a third of students achieved the top grade. More than a quarter of St Andrews students got a first, a 9% increase.
Abertay and Highlands and Islands University, of which Perth College is a part, gave 1.1% and 0.4% more firsts to students.
Analysis of 148 universities for the five-year period shows in 50, at least 25% of degrees awarded in 2015-16 were a first, while at 10 institutions, more than a third were given the highest award.
In 2010-11, just 12 institutions gave at least one in four degrees a first, and only two gave firsts to more than a third.
Just seven institutions have seen a fall in the proportion of firsts.
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said standards have been raised but league tables could be fuelling grade inflation.
A St Andrews University spokesman said: “Our world-class reputation for academic excellence is only as good as our graduates, that is why a first demands the highest possible standards.
“We know educational attainment has been rising across the sector. Competition for places at St Andrews has continued to grow in recent years.
“The increase in proportions of first-class degrees awarded at this university needs to be understood within that highly dynamic context.”
A spokesperson for Dundee University said: “We have seen increased demand for places on many of our courses which has led to more students with higher grades coming to Dundee, where they receive teaching of the highest standard.
“We have also done work over the period featured in this data to recognise the full range of grades.”
It is understood the figures do not include medical or dentistry degrees, which would drop the percentage achieving firsts to 21.
Professor Steve Olivier, vice-principal (academic) at Abertay University, said: “Any improvements in degree classifications at Abertay can be attributed to our new teaching and learning strategy.”
Our worldclass reputation for academic excellence is only as good as our graduates, thatiswhy a first demands the highest possible standards. ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SPOKESMAN