The number of UK students getting top-class degree awards has dropped for the third year in a row, new figures show, with the proportion falling by a fifth at some universities.
After heavy criticism of the number of firsts and upper seconds awarded by institutions – particularly?during the Covid-19 years?– grades have slowly been returning to more typical levels?in the past few years.?
According to the latest Higher Education Statistics Agency data, 29 per cent of UK students achieved a first-class degree in 2023-24 – down slightly from the year before and the lowest level since 2018-19.
With the awarding of 2:1s unchanged at 48 per cent, it meant that the proportion of students getting top-class degrees fell to 77 per cent. This was down from the peak of 82 per cent during the pandemic and the third annual fall in a row. A further 20 per cent of students achieved a 2:2 in 2023-24 and the remaining 3 per cent a third.
The universities of Oxford and Edinburgh, and Imperial College?London, were the most likely to give out a first or upper second – awarded to 92 per cent of students at all three institutions.
Across all 24 members of the Russell Group, 85 per cent of students once again received a top degree. Meanwhile, 72 per cent achieved the same at post-1992 universities.
At Imperial, more than half (51 per cent) of students graduated with a first, although this was slightly less than in 2022-23.
In contrast, just 12 per cent of graduates at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) received firsts – the lowest of all 145 universities included in Times Higher Education’s analysis.
The analysis?includes every English institution recognised as a university by the Office for Students, along with selected others across the UK. A small number were excluded for reporting fewer than 100 total degree classifications, or for reporting inaccurate figures.
The RAU also saw the biggest shift in grades awarded. Just 58 per cent of its students were awarded top degrees in 2023-24 – down from 77 per cent the year before. The University of Law also saw a large change in this metric – falling from 79 per cent to 61 per cent in just one year.
The majority (57 per cent) of institutions in the sample reduced the proportion of firsts and 2:1s handed out. The biggest increases came at the universities of Gloucestershire and Bedfordshire, where top grades increased by 8 percentage points.
Dan Shaffer, director of academic services at the RAU, said?2022-23 was an "exceptional year" for graduates, with 2023-24 being more in line with results from a decade ago.
“We take the responsibility of awarding degrees seriously and apply rigorous scrutiny to ensure the classifications we grant are truly merited, so that employers can trust the value of hiring a RAU graduate."
The University of Law was approached for comment.
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