Exposed: The UK universities handing out the most inflated grades for degrees

Erm, so it’s almost twice as easy to get a first in your uni degree than it was 13 years ago. Back in 2011, 15.8 per cent of students graduated with a first. In 2024, 28.8 per cent did. Although this news may be exciting for students currently cramming for exams, it’s also a bit of a problem. If all the grades at UK universities are really inflated, then it’s harder for employers to tell how impressive you are. Plus, it’s tough if your uni is much stingier with firsts than other people’s unis. Even the grades at some very academic Russell Group unis are inflated.

The Office for Students (OfS) worked out the increase in students getting top grades, and how many of those top grades could be explained by factors such as a uni attracting freshers with better A-levels, or a uni teaching different subjects. Uni students are getting way, way more firsts now than expected. 40 per cent of firsts awarded in 2024 were “unexplained”. There is no obvious reason why so many more students are getting firsts. Maybe some unis have really upped their game, and the lecturers are much better at teaching. Or, maybe unis are becoming lenient. Remember, lots of university league tables take into account how many students get firsts.

According to OfS’s analysis, grades rose the most unexpectedly at the University of East London. The prestigious Durham University wasn’t far behind. 18.4 per cent of Durham students got firsts in 2010, but 39.6 per cent managed it in 2024. Plenty of other Russell Group unis had big increases in grades, including Imperial College London, the University of Leeds, the University of Manchester and University College London (UCL).

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Durham grads

So, here are the 25 UK universities where the proportion of firsts in 2024 differed the most from what OfS expected. I’ve added in what proportion of students got firsts in 2011, compared to what proportion got firsts in 2024.

25. Leeds Beckett University

10.2 per cent to 24.3 per cent

24. University College London (UCL)

24.5 per cent to 41.0 per cent

23. University of Huddersfield

15.4 per cent to 36.7 per cent

22. University of Leeds

17.6 per cent to 36.7 per cent

21. University of Northumbria

16.4 per cent to 36.5 per cent

20. Birmingham Newman University

7.2 per cent to 34.5 per cent

19. University of Chester

The Uni of Chester
(Credit: Dennis Turner)

11.1 per cent to 34.1 per cent

18. Southampton Solent University

8.4 per cent to 28.3 per cent

17. University for the Creative Arts

9.7 per cent to 35.1 per cent

16. London Metropolitan University

11.7 per cent to 28.4 per cent

15. Goldsmiths, University of London

12.7 per cent to 33.3 per cent

14. University of Wolverhampton

11.0 per cent to 32.9 per cent

13. Manchester Metropolitan University

15.4 per cent to 37.3 per cent

12. University of West London

13.5 per cent to 37.5 per cent

11. University of Staffordshire

14.3 per cent to 39.4 per cent

10. Imperial College London

Behold, Imperial College London

30.9 per cent to 52.5 per cent

9. London South Bank University

12.2 per cent to 31.9 per cent

8. University of Manchester

10.3 per cent to 38.3 per cent

7. University of Lancashire

10.2 per cent to 31.2 per cent

6. University of Hull

10.0 per cent to 32.5 per cent

5. University of Derby

10.0 per cent to 33.6 per cent

4. University of Portsmouth

10.8 per cent to 34.5 per cent

3. University of Bradford

10.7 per cent to 39.1 per cent

2. Durham University

18.4 per cent to 39.6 per cent

1. University of East London

10.9 per cent to 35.7 per cent

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