Are degrees worth the investment?

Findings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies show “Over the course of a lifetime, estimates suggest women can expect to earn about £250,000 more if they have a degree, while the figure is roughly £170,000 for men.” “Five years after graduation, the income gap between students who studied the subjects that attract the highest and lowest salaries can be considerable. Graduates of medicine and dentistry earn an average of £46,700, while those who studied economics take home £40,000. These figures are about double the average wages of creative arts (£20,100), agriculture (£22,000) and mass communication (£22,300) graduates. Crucially, these differences are smaller, but remain significant, even when students with similar A-level grades are compared. As careers progress the gaps get bigger, with graduates of the high-earning subjects pulling even further away. For example, students of law, economics and management subjects at the London School of Economics do extremely well, with 10% of male graduates earning more than £300,000 by the time they are in their early 30s.” Read more.