30 May 2026
Graduate earnings vs entry tariff: UK universities that outperform
Some UK universities accept nearly every applicant and still produce graduates who out-earn those from selective institutions. We compared offer rates and five-year earnings across 138 universities to find the ones that deliver the best outcomes for the widest range of students.
Why this matters for international students
International students pay the same tuition fees whether a university accepts 15% or 95% of applicants. A student paying £20,000 per year at a highly selective university needs to get in first. If another university charges similar fees, accepts most applicants, and produces graduates who earn within a few thousand pounds of the selective one, the accessible university is the better bet for most students.
Education advisors talk a lot about prestige and rankings. Parents ask about league tables. But none of these answer the question that matters most: what will my child earn five years after graduating, and what are the chances of getting a place?
This analysis answers both questions at once. We used official data on offer rates (the percentage of applicants who receive an offer) and graduate earnings five years after graduation to identify universities that deliver strong outcomes without the admissions lottery.
The sector picture: selectivity is concentrating
The UK higher education market is splitting. Russell Group universities now account for a record 29% of all enrolments. Applicant growth is structurally skewed: higher-tariff institutions saw applications grow 6.9%, medium tariff 2.8%, and lower tariff just 1.8%. The 2026 record of 338,940 UK 18-year-old applicants is a population event driven by a larger birth cohort, not a rise in participation rates.
At the same time, intakes at several lower-tariff institutions have fallen 20-30%. The market is concentrating around institutions that can attract students, and the gap between the most and least selective is widening.
For international students, this concentration creates an opportunity. As domestic applicants crowd into Russell Group universities, accessible institutions are competing harder for international students. Many of these universities deliver graduate earnings that match or beat their selective neighbours. The data below shows exactly which ones.
How we measured this
Offer rate is the percentage of applicants who receive an offer of a place. A high offer rate (above 70%) means most applicants get in. A low offer rate (below 50%) means the university is highly selective.
Five-year earnings is the median salary of graduates five years after completing their degree, published by the Department for Education via the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset.
Overperformers have an offer rate above 70% (accessible) and earnings above the sector median of £30,700. Underperformers have an offer rate below 50% (selective) and earnings below the sector median.
The value score in the final table divides five-year earnings by (100 minus the offer rate). This rewards high earnings at accessible institutions.
Overperformers: accessible universities with strong earnings
53 universities combine an offer rate above 70% with graduate earnings above the sector median. These are institutions where most applicants receive an offer and graduates go on to earn well. For advisors, these are the universities that deserve a closer look when a student does not have the grades for the most selective institutions.
| # | University | City | Offer rate | 5yr earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Warwick | Coventry | 80.0% | £44,500 | 87.9% |
| 2 | Durham University | Durham | 79.5% | £43,800 | 86.1% |
| 3 | University of Bristol | Bristol | 74.7% | £43,100 | 87.1% |
| 4 | Escape Studios | London | 90.0% | £42,000 | 78.6% |
| 5 | Loughborough University | Loughborough | 75.0% | £41,200 | 89.9% |
| 6 | University of Nottingham | Nottingham | 76.1% | £40,400 | 88.9% |
| 7 | University of Exeter | Exeter | 92.4% | £39,800 | 86.9% |
| 8 | University of Birmingham | Birmingham | 76.6% | £38,700 | 88.7% |
| 9 | Newcastle University | Newcastle | 81.9% | £38,300 | 88.9% |
| 10 | University of Surrey | Guildford | 72.1% | £38,300 | 89.9% |
| 11 | Aston University | Birmingham | 80.1% | £37,600 | 86.8% |
| 12 | University of Aberdeen | Aberdeen | 90.1% | £37,600 | 84.6% |
| 13 | University of Southampton | Southampton | 80.6% | £37,200 | 88.9% |
| 14 | University of Strathclyde | Glasgow | 72.8% | £37,200 | 88.3% |
| 15 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow | 79.0% | £36,500 | 84.8% |
| 16 | University of Sheffield | Sheffield | 78.1% | £36,100 | 88.5% |
| 17 | Cardiff University | Cardiff | 76.2% | £36,100 | 88.7% |
| 18 | Brunel University London | London | 75.6% | £35,800 | 86.7% |
| 19 | University of Reading | Reading | 90.4% | £35,800 | 89.8% |
| 20 | Lancaster University | Lancaster | 88.6% | £35,400 | 87.7% |
| 21 | Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh | 100.5% | £35,400 | 86.9% |
| 22 | University of Leicester | Leicester | 73.1% | £35,400 | 88.7% |
| 23 | University of Dundee | Dundee | 73.2% | £35,000 | 87.7% |
| 24 | University of Sussex | Brighton | 94.7% | £34,700 | 86.2% |
| 25 | University of York | York | 86.4% | £34,700 | 88.4% |
| 26 | University of Liverpool | Liverpool | 75.8% | £34,300 | 88.3% |
| 27 | Robert Gordon University | Aberdeen | 91.4% | £33,900 | 89.5% |
| 28 | Bournemouth University | Bournemouth | 93.7% | £33,600 | 90.5% |
| 29 | Oxford Brookes University | Oxford | 92.1% | £33,600 | 87.5% |
| 30 | University of Kent | Canterbury | 98.0% | £33,600 | 87.6% |
| 31 | Royal Holloway, University of London | Egham | 89.4% | £33,200 | 87.2% |
| 32 | Glasgow Caledonian University | Glasgow | 85.0% | £33,200 | 89.5% |
| 33 | UEA | Norwich | 84.9% | £33,200 | 88.0% |
| 34 | University of Brighton | Brighton | 87.2% | £32,800 | 86.2% |
| 35 | University of Hertfordshire | Hatfield | 71.7% | £32,800 | 87.9% |
| 36 | University of Greenwich | London | 89.5% | £32,800 | 85.1% |
| 37 | Birkbeck, University of London | London | 90.3% | £32,500 | 75.9% |
| 38 | University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth | 85.1% | £32,100 | 89.0% |
| 39 | Edinburgh Napier University | Edinburgh | 85.5% | £32,100 | 87.5% |
| 40 | Keele University | Keele | 72.4% | £32,100 | 89.9% |
| 41 | Kingston University | Kingston upon Thames | 86.7% | £31,900 | 84.1% |
| 42 | University of Essex | Colchester | 89.2% | £31,800 | 87.5% |
| 43 | Swansea University | Swansea | 79.8% | £31,800 | 88.8% |
| 44 | University of Westminster | London | 85.3% | £31,400 | 80.9% |
| 45 | UWE Bristol | Bristol | 87.5% | £31,400 | 89.1% |
| 46 | Coventry University London | Coventry | 97.6% | £31,400 | 86.9% |
| 47 | Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham | 99.4% | £31,000 | 89.0% |
| 48 | University of Stirling | Stirling | 95.5% | £31,000 | 88.4% |
| 49 | Northumbria University | Newcastle | 103.1% | £31,000 | 89.6% |
| 50 | St Mary's University, Twickenham | London | 91.2% | £31,000 | 86.4% |
| 51 | Anglia Ruskin University | Chelmsford | 93.8% | £30,700 | 87.1% |
| 52 | Harper Adams University | Newport | 115.8% | £33,600 | 91.1% |
| 53 | The Royal Agricultural University | Cirencester | 122.7% | £33,200 | 83.9% |
The standout names on this list include Exeter (92.4% offer rate, £39,800 earnings), Aberdeen (90.1% offer rate, £37,600 earnings) and Lancaster (88.6% offer rate, £35,400 earnings). These are universities where a student with solid but not exceptional grades can reasonably expect both a place and a strong salary outcome.
Compare any two universities
Every university on UniLens has earnings, offer rates, employment data and more on a single profile page.
Browse all 415 universities →Underperformers: selective universities with modest earnings
Five universities have an offer rate below 50% (meaning they reject more than half of applicants) and still produce graduates who earn below the sector median. These are institutions where getting in is hard but the salary payoff is not proportional to the selectivity.
| # | University | City | Offer rate | 5yr earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rose Bruford College | London | 25.1% | £23,200 | 91.4% |
| 2 | LIPA | Liverpool | 19.6% | £24,200 | 87.7% |
| 3 | Glyndwr University | Wrexham | 47.4% | £24,800 | 83.2% |
| 4 | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | Glasgow | 19.2% | £26,600 | 87.2% |
| 5 | Glasgow School of Art | Glasgow | 46.3% | £27,000 | 86.7% |
All five are specialist arts or performing arts institutions. This is consistent with what the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found: lifetime returns on creative arts degrees are close to zero for males and negative for females. These institutions are highly selective because of the audition and portfolio process, not because of academic grade requirements. But the earnings data is clear: selectivity in the arts does not translate to salary outcomes the way it does in other subjects.
This does not mean these are bad universities. Graduates from performing arts programmes often pursue portfolio careers where salary is not the primary measure of success. But for an international student or their family making a £60,000+ investment, the earnings data should be part of the conversation.
Three comparisons that tell the story
Aberdeen vs Edinburgh: same earnings, different odds
The University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh both produce graduates who earn £37,600 five years after graduation. The difference is in who gets through the door. Edinburgh has an offer rate of 55.5%, meaning it rejects nearly half of applicants. Aberdeen's offer rate is 90.1%, meaning nearly everyone who applies gets a place.
An international student choosing between these two universities should know that the graduate salary outcome is identical. Aberdeen is also in one of the most affordable Scottish cities, with lower rent and lower living costs than Edinburgh. For a student paying £20,000 per year in tuition, Aberdeen delivers the same five-year earnings with a much higher probability of admission.
Exeter: a Russell Group university that accepts 92% of applicants
Exeter is the most interesting name on the overperformers list. It has a 92.4% offer rate, making it one of the most accessible Russell Group universities. Its five-year graduate earnings of £39,800 put it ahead of Birmingham (£38,700, 76.6% offer rate), Sheffield (£36,100, 78.1% offer rate) and Glasgow (£36,500, 79.0% offer rate). Exeter combines high accessibility with earnings that beat many of its more selective peers.
Nottingham Trent vs University of Nottingham: the £9,400 question
Nottingham Trent University has a 99.4% offer rate and produces graduates who earn £31,000. The University of Nottingham has a 76.1% offer rate and produces graduates who earn £40,400. The gap is £9,400 per year, five years after graduation.
This is one of the clearest cases where selectivity does predict higher earnings. Both universities are in the same city with the same living costs. For a strong student who can get into both, the University of Nottingham is the better financial bet. But for a student who cannot realistically get into the Russell Group university, NTU still delivers above-median graduate earnings with near-certain admission.
The full picture: top 20 universities by value score
The value score divides five-year earnings by the selectivity gap (100 minus the offer rate). This rewards universities that combine high earnings with high accessibility. A university that produces £35,000 earners while accepting 90% of applicants scores higher than one producing the same earners while accepting 70%.
| # | University | City | Offer rate | 5yr earnings | Employment | Value score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham | 99.4% | £31,000 | 89.0% | 51,667 |
| 2 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | Cardiff | 99.4% | £28,200 | 89.0% | 47,000 |
| 3 | University of Kent | Canterbury | 98.0% | £33,600 | 87.6% | 16,800 |
| 4 | University of Winchester | Winchester | 97.9% | £28,800 | 89.0% | 13,714 |
| 5 | Coventry University London | Coventry | 97.6% | £31,400 | 86.9% | 13,083 |
| 6 | De Montfort University | Leicester | 97.1% | £28,500 | 87.7% | 9,828 |
| 7 | University of Bradford | Bradford | 96.3% | £28,100 | 84.8% | 7,595 |
| 8 | University of Stirling | Stirling | 95.5% | £31,000 | 88.4% | 6,889 |
| 9 | University of Sussex | Brighton | 94.7% | £34,700 | 86.2% | 6,547 |
| 10 | Edge Hill University | Ormskirk | 95.8% | £27,700 | 89.0% | 6,595 |
| 11 | University of the West of Scotland | Paisley | 95.1% | £28,800 | 88.3% | 5,878 |
| 12 | Bournemouth University | Bournemouth | 93.7% | £33,600 | 90.5% | 5,333 |
| 13 | University of Exeter | Exeter | 92.4% | £39,800 | 86.9% | 5,237 |
| 14 | Anglia Ruskin University | Chelmsford | 93.8% | £30,700 | 87.1% | 4,952 |
| 15 | Liverpool Hope University | Liverpool | 94.7% | £25,900 | 85.7% | 4,887 |
| 16 | University of Gloucestershire | Cheltenham | 94.1% | £27,400 | 90.5% | 4,644 |
| 17 | University of South Wales | Pontypridd | 93.8% | £27,400 | 88.2% | 4,419 |
| 18 | Oxford Brookes University | Oxford | 92.1% | £33,600 | 87.5% | 4,253 |
| 19 | Canterbury Christ Church University | Canterbury | 99.9% | £29,900 | 88.0% | 299,000 |
| 20 | University of Reading | Reading | 90.4% | £35,800 | 89.8% | 3,729 |
The value score formula naturally favours institutions with offer rates close to 100%, because the denominator approaches zero. Canterbury Christ Church, for example, has a 99.9% offer rate which produces an extreme score. The formula is a starting point for comparison, not a definitive ranking. The overperformers table above is more useful for practical advising because it combines accessibility with absolute earnings quality.
What this means for education advisors
The OfS uses graduate outcomes as one of its measures of institutional quality. The graduate salary premium over non-graduate salary has remained flat at around £10,000, which means the university a student attends makes a bigger difference than whether they attend at all.
For advisors working with international students and their families, three practical steps follow from this data:
- Show parents the value comparisons. When a family is set on a selective university because of its name, show them an accessible university in the same city or region with similar earnings. Aberdeen vs Edinburgh is the clearest example: identical outcomes, much higher probability of admission, lower living costs.
- Use offer rates to manage expectations. If a student has a realistic chance of getting into a university with a 75% offer rate but not one with a 30% offer rate, the overperformers list shows which accessible universities still deliver strong earnings. Do not let students gamble their entire application on a single selective institution when strong alternatives exist.
- Look at employment alongside earnings. High earnings with low employment rates can mean the data is skewed by a small number of high earners. Universities like Bournemouth (90.5% employment, £33,600 earnings) and Loughborough (89.9% employment, £41,200 earnings) combine strong earnings with high employment rates, meaning the outcomes are broad-based.
Check any university now
Search all 415 universities on UniLens and see earnings, offer rates, employment and financial stability on a single profile page.
Browse universities →Data sources
Graduate earnings data comes from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset published by the Department for Education. Offer rate data comes from UCAS. Employment rates come from the Graduate Outcomes survey published by HESA.
Sector context draws on published analysis from the OfS, UCAS End of Cycle reports, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and the House of Commons Education Committee. The sector median of £30,700 is calculated across all 151 institutions with published five-year earnings data.
The 138 universities in this analysis are those with both published five-year earnings data and published UCAS offer rate data. Institutions without one or both figures are excluded.
A note on offer rates above 100%
Some institutions show offer rates above 100%. This happens when a university makes more offers than it receives applications, typically through Clearing, adjusted offers, or changes in how UCAS counts applications. An offer rate above 100% means the university is actively seeking students beyond its applicant pool. For the value score calculation, these institutions are included but their scores should be interpreted with this context.