Milkround News, 04 June 2009
Oxford and Cambridge are still the top ranking universities, but neither top the average graduate starting salary table.

The Times Good University Guide 2010 ranks the prestigious institutions as first and second, however figures show they are third and eighth in the table for starting wages.

The University Guide ranks universities based on criteria including student satisfaction, research quality, entry standards, facilities and graduate prospects. Behind Oxford and Cambridge in the top 10 were London universities Imperial, LSE and UCL. St Andrews, Warwick, Durham, Exeter and Bristol were also among the best ranked institutions.

Just a dozen universities other than Oxbridge lead the 62 subject performance tables – though not all are offered by the pair. Bath beat Cambridge in architecture and Edinburgh is well ahead in pharmacy but Loughborough’s position as best performer for graduates of Sport Science is unrivalled from the big two as it is not on their subject list.

However, when graduates come to translate their degree into a salary they may be surprised to learn that, on average, those with a degree from the London School of Economics get the best starting salaries: £27,637. According to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, Imperial College graduates average a starting salary of £26,299 while Oxford comes in third with £24,460. Cambridge is behind King’s College London, UCL, London South Bank and Queen Mary on £22,964. Despite being 113th in the University rankings, a South Bank graduate averages a starting salary of £23,469.

The Times Good University Guide 2010 top 10:

1) Oxford
2) Cambridge
3) Imperial College
4) St Andrews
5) University College London
6) Warwick
7) London School of Economics
8) Durham
9) Exeter
10) Bristol

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