University life sets graduates up with more friends, career opportunities and a good chance of finding a partner for life.The BBC reports a survey of more than 5,000 graduates and non-graduates has revealed the social benefits of university.Graduates were found to have 15 close friends compared to 10 close friends for those who did not take a degree, while one in give graduates had settled down with someone they met at university. One in 10 of those who did not go to university felt they had missed out on love.The online poll also found 60 percent of graduates thought university contacts were as important as a degree when it came to finding a job with 41% claiming a friend from university had directly set them up for a job interview or introduced them to a potential employer. Nathan Goddard, sales and marketing director for student accommodation firm Unite who carried out the research, told the BBC: "In the current climate, a degree alone doesn't always guarantee you a job - it's also the people you meet and the friends you make along the way that could help you get ahead. "Our research reveals that people who go to university make strong social networks which help set them up for life; whether it be work, lasting friendships or even marriage." Graduates who completed the survey were also more likely to have international friends of different cultures and religions: more than a third of former students had travelled around the world because of university friends or contacts and 78 percent of non-graduate respondents felt they had missed out on once in a lifetime experiences abroad due to not going to university.