Graduates in the East region earn a third more than non-graduates, new Universities UK survey finds

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UEA students in a teaching environment

Graduates from the East of England earn 32% more than non-graduates by the age of 31, according to a new survey published this week.

Universities UK (UUK) published their 'Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO): post-16 education and labour market activities and outcomes' survey

The survey found that those who chose to attend university earn significantly more than those who didn't, irrespective of the region they are from, ten years after most students graduate.

From 23 years of age onwards, average earnings of graduates progressively overtake those of non-graduates.

This data provides a new perspective on opportunities for graduates in the East region.

In summary

• By age 31, graduates from the East region earn 32% more than non-graduates from the same region.
• In the East region, by the age of 31, graduates earned relative to non-graduates:
• 85% more tin the accommodation and food service industries
• 82% more in the financial and insurance sector
• 80% in administrative and support services

Economic boost driven by graduates to local economies

UUK commissioned London Economics to assess the impact of the UK higher education sector's teaching, research and innovation activities on the UK economy, focusing on the 2021-22 academic year.

This money benefits graduates' wider communities, and the country as a whole - based on recent analysis, graduate skills are estimated to have had an economic impact of £95 billion nationwide in 2021-22 - and £5.4 billion across the East region.

There is also a clear trend across the country - that those regions with more graduates are more productive, driving economic growth.

The industries of the future, those that the government has set out as driving growth over the next decade, are heavily dependent on graduate skills, including the creative sector (76%), professional and business services (74%) and life science sector (73%).

Evan Hancock, Associate Director of Graduate Success at the University of East Anglia (UEA) said: "This University has a transformational impact on our students, which prepares them to make a positive difference in the world. This important survey shows that gaining a degree can also have a really positive impact on their future earnings as well.

"In the East region, graduates outperform non-graduates by 32% ten years after graduation. It's also an important reminder of the benefits that graduates bring to a region to drive economic growth and opportunity to local economies."

In June, UEA announced its results from the Higher Education Statistics Agency's (HESA) Graduate Outcomes Survey which found that a higher proportion of UEA students are remaining in East Anglia than ever before, with 53.7% of those full-time undergraduates from the latest 2021/22 cohort who are in employment or further study remaining in the region.

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, FRSE, President of Universities UK, said: "Those of us who work in universities witness the transformative power of higher education every day, and it is compelling to see this borne out so strongly in this analysis. But this data shows something new - universities are anchors for growth right across the UK.

"As well as contributing to their local area through the money they spend while studying, graduates go on to meet the needs of local industries and to earn more. This new analysis gives a clear message to government, local and mayoral authorities that thriving universities in every part of the country are central to the prospects for individuals and communities."