Foreign graduates top the pay league

OVERSEAS students go on to earn as much as 50 per cent more than their British counterparts if they stay in the UK, a study shows.

Foreign graduates are paid more after five years in almost every subject, the Higher Education Policy Institute found.

The biggest differences are in maths, economics and computing, while in English and sociology there is hardly any gap.

In maths, a UK graduate’s median salary after five years is £33,100, while for EU graduates it is £37,600.

For non-EU graduates it is around 50 per cent higher at £48,600.

In economics, the gap is 20 per cent, with home graduates earning £37,900 and non-EU graduates earning £45,700.

London Economics, which carried out the research, said the gap could be put down to the characteristics of foreign students.

For example, an 18-year-old who studies abroad might have more initiative and motivation than most, and they are also usually bilingual.

It comes after the Government announced measures last week to let foreign graduates look for jobs in Britain for up to a year.