University of Huddersfield students earn less than average after graduation

University of Huddersfield students are earning less on average than those from other institutions across the Yorkshire region.

According to figures from the Department for Education (DfE), students who received their first degree at the University of Huddersfield earned a median annual salary of £25,900 in 2021 to 2022 five years after leaving the course. The average salary for the 2015-2016 cohort across Yorkshire was estimated to be £30,700.

This means salaries for graduates at the University of Huddersfield are 16% lower than the average for students of universities across Yorkshire.

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On average, the graduates from the University of Huddersfield who earned the most studied courses in the medical sciences, pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy earned the most with a salary of £40,200 on average. Students who studied history and archaeology earned the least, earning around £20,800 a year.

Figures also show female graduates from the University of Huddersfield earned a median salary of £24,800 five years after graduating. Male graduates earned £27,700, or 11% more.

Here is the average salary for graduates from each surveyed university across Yorkshire.

• University of Bradford: £27,000

• University of Huddersfield: £25,900

• University of Hull: £28,500

• University of Leeds: £34,700

• Leeds Arts University: £23,400

• Leeds Trinity University: £24,500

• Leeds Beckett University: £27,400

• University of Sheffield: £33,600

• University of York: £33,600

For the majority of universities and courses, graduate earnings have increased at or above the rate of inflation since 2015-2016. Graduates from almost three quarters of universities saw their earnings at least 13% higher in 2021-2022 than 2015-2016.

Tom Allingham, communications director at Save the Student said: "On the face of it, this data paints a promising picture for graduates.

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"However, it's worth noting that the dataset only runs to the 2021-22 tax year, and therefore doesn't include much of the sky-high rates of inflation seen throughout much of 2022 and 2023."

He also added that it was not possible to tell whether the latest set of graduates this summer will see their earnings match inflation.

"Nonetheless, the future looks bright for many graduates – particularly those from STEM subjects – and perhaps explains why in our own research, the proportion of students confident about finding work after leaving university has increased dramatically in the post-Covid era, up from 38% in 2021 to 58% in 2023," Mr Allingham added.