Degree courses in biosciences and communications at Brunel University London are officially number one nationwide for catapulting lower-income students into higher-income jobs.
For disadvantaged students wanting to seize the biggest chance of being a high earner by the time they hit 30, studying these subjects at Brunel is their best bet.
Fresh figures from the 'Universities and Social Mobility' report reveal 14 Brunel courses all are in the top 10 for their subject, and 6 in the top 5.
The report from thinktank The Sutton Trust and the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) examines how social mobility varies by university, subject and individual courses.
Brunel’s maths course came in at number two in the UK for social mobility, followed by economics at third, with engineering and surprisingly English both ranked fourth.
"We are very proud and pleased to see Brunel perform so well in this new analysis,” said Prof Claire Turner, Brunel’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education). “Our university plays a leading role in helping students from different backgrounds, communities and groups from all around the world to reach their full potential. Our learning environment, culture and education supports a hugely diverse student community who become sought-after graduates, excelling in their future careers and achievements."
Higher education is a key driver of social mobility in this country. Young people from less well-off backgrounds who go to university are more likely to climb into higher-income brackets. This research calculates a ‘mobility rate’ for individual degrees, based on how many students from disadvantaged backgrounds get in, and how many of them go on to be ‘high earners’ after graduation, which the rankings define as bringing in the top half of money compared with other students who took the same course.
Using HMRC data on people’s pay, the Sutton Trust looks at the percentage of graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds and compares it with the percentage that end up earning more than other graduates when they reach 30 years old.
Find out more about our undergraduate courses in biosciences and in communications: