With student loans leaving UK graduates with tens of thousands of debt, the pressure is on graduates to use their degrees in high paying jobs as early as possible.
The value for money of a course is increasingly viewed through the lens of expected pay after graduation.
New research has revealed the degrees leading to the highest salary, with those with the highest education earning an average of £47,120 five years after leaving university.
The list was dominated by degrees that 18-year-olds might not excite, such as those in engineering and computer science. In fact, eight separate engineering degrees have been placed in the top 20. Degrees in finance-related fields such as entrepreneurship and business economics also featured strongly.
An average university degree leaves graduates with £45,000 in debt, which they only begin to repay when their salary exceeds £27,295.
Of the 74 programs included in the survey, 60 exceeded the threshold within five years. About 60 per cent of courses lead to a salary of over £30,000 in five years.
Adzuna analyzed more than 120,000 resumes to find the jobs graduates hold in five years after leaving college. It then linked these to average salaries.
The report showed that information systems degrees are the best value for money as graduates earn £47,120 five years after graduation. It was followed by courses in computer engineering (£46,281), petroleum engineering (£45,579) and project management (£44,455).
Paul Lewis, of Adzuna, said the graduate job market was strongest after the pandemic, adding: “Many industries remain desperate for talent and are looking for graduates to fill those gaps.”
A job search engine report found that graduate salaries had risen 7 percent year-on-year to a record high of £26,076. In the most competitive sectors, it added, wages have reached new heights, with salaries up to £70,000 on offer.