As thousands of students receive their A-level degree results this week, many will already be turning their attention to the job market and the salaries that could await them.
New figures suggest some degree subjects offer a far greater financial head start than others, with economics graduates topping the charts and earning nearly £69,000 a decade after leaving university.
According to the Department for Education’s latest data, medicine and dentistry graduates follow closely behind, taking home an average of £61,000 after ten years, while those with mathematical sciences degrees earn around £51,500.
By comparison, the average graduate salary a decade after finishing university stands at £34,300, showing just how much difference subject choice can make to long-term earnings.
The average total debt built up by students in England has now reached £53,000, a figure that outstrips the annual salary of many graduates, even ten years after leaving university.
They are entering a challenging jobs market, with competition not just from other graduates but also from the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace.
Mathematical sciences graduates reach £51,500 within a decade, progressing from initial salaries of £28,500. Engineering professionals earn £50,400 after ten years, whilst physics and astronomy graduates achieve £48,500.
Architecture, building and planning specialists command £45,300 annually after a decade, with computing graduates earning £44,900. Political studies leads to average earnings of £43,800, whilst chemistry graduates secure £42,700.
Full list of highest paying UK degrees after 10 years
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PAThe typical graduate across all disciplines earns £34,300 ten years post-graduation, according to the ministry’s longitudinal education outcomes data.
Victoria McLean from career consultancy City CV observed: “Degrees that tend to have the highest return on investment are those that marry technical expertise with problem solving.”
The recruitment landscape has transformed dramatically since ChatGPT’s introduction in November 2022, with entry-level positions declining by 32 per cent, according to recruitment firm Adzuna.
Graduate vacancies have plummeted 63.5 per cent since early 2019, whilst overall job openings dropped 14 per cent during the same period.
Hundreds of thousands of students are receiving A-level, T-level, BTec National and other Level 3 results today
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PACertain academic disciplines demonstrate greater resilience to automation threats. Sport, leisure and recreation studies, alongside engineering and sociology, face minimal exposure to AI displacement according to Government analysis.
Conversely, economics, mathematics and accounting graduates encounter heightened vulnerability to technological replacement.
McLean noted that computer science graduates enjoy exceptional demand: “Even industries that don’t think they need AI talent yet soon will, so pursuing this will put you ahead of the curve.”
Here are the top degree subjects with the highest average salaries one year and ten years after graduation, showing how starting pay can develop over time:
- Economics – £68,600 (1 year: £29,600)
- Medicine and dentistry – £61,000 (1 year: £40,200)
- Mathematical sciences – £51,500 (1 year: £28,500)
- Engineering – £50,400 (1 year: £30,300)
- Physics and astronomy – £48,500 (1 year: £29,200)
- Architecture, building and planning – £45,300 (1 year: £28,800)
- Computing – £44,900 (1 year: £28,100)
- Politics – £43,800 (1 year: £25,600)
- Chemistry – £42,700 (1 year: £26,300)
- Medical sciences – £42,300 (1 year: £25,900)
- Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy – £41,600 (1 year: £27,400)
- Veterinary sciences – £41,600 (1 year: £32,800)
- Law – £40,500 (1 year: £23,000)
- Geography, earth and environmental studies – £39,800 (1 year: £24,500)
- Business and management – £39,400 (1 year: £25,200)
- Languages and area studies – £38,700 (1 year: £25,200)
- History and archaeology – £37,600 (1 year: £22,600)
- Biosciences – £37,600 (1 year: £23,000)
- Philosophy and religious studies – £36,900 (1 year: £23,000)
- Nursing and midwifery – £35,400 (1 year: £31,400)
- Materials and technology – £35,000 (1 year: £25,600)
- Sport and exercise sciences – £34,700 (1 year: £20,800)
- English studies – £33,200 (1 year: £21,500)
- General, applied and forensic sciences – £33,200 (1 year: £22,600)
- Media, journalism and communications – £32,800 (1 year: £21,200)
- Allied health – £32,500 (1 year: £26,300)
- Psychology – £32,100 (1 year: £21,500)
- Sociology, social policy and anthropology – £31,800 (1 year: £21,900)
- Combined and general studies – £30,700 (1 year: £24,100)
- Health and social care – £30,300 (1 year: £23,400)
- Agriculture, food and related studies – £29,200 (1 year: £21,900)
- Performing arts – £28,100 (1 year: £18,200)
- Creative arts and design – £28,100 (1 year: £20,400)
- Education and teaching – £27,700 (1 year: £23,000)
Medicine and dentistry remain some of the most secure and well-compensated career paths, despite their long and costly training routes, offering high pay and protection from automation.
At the other end of the scale, teaching degrees deliver the lowest financial returns, with graduates earning an average of just £27,700 a decade after graduation, well below the overall median of £34,300.
Performing arts, creative arts and design, and agricultural studies also struggle to break the £30,000 mark after ten years.
Medicine and dentistry remain some of the most secure and well-compensated career paths
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GETTYBroad academic degrees don’t perform much better, with combined and general studies graduates earning £24,100 in their first year and just £30,700 a decade later.
Victoria McLean, chief executive of career consultancy City CV, said: “It’s a shame, but some of the most intellectually rich and socially vital degrees often don’t convert to high salaries, at least not in the early years.”
She added that this reflected structural and funding issues rather than a degree’s intrinsic worth, noting that while lucrative careers are still possible, they often require longer timeframes and strategic moves.
