Grads from these six UK universities earn just as high salaries as Oxbridge students in 2026

So many students really strive to worm their way into Oxbridge. Plenty of people aspire to go to Oxbridge, because they reckon that this will lead to better job opportunities once they graduate (plus, they get to brag about getting in). However, the average graduate salaries for many other UK universities in 2026 are just as good as they are for Oxbridge – or even better.

Oxbridge grads do still earn more than average

The Daily Mail worked out the average graduate salaries for different universities using data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). So, the figures refer to the median salaries of the UK students who left in 2024, then were in a full-time job in the UK within 15 months. You following me still?

So, the average grad salary of those students who went to the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford is £35,000. 

Er, but three other UK unis are just as good for high-earning jobs

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Er, so the average graduate salary for King’s College London (KCL), University College London (UCL) and the University of Warwick is also £35,000. That’s just as much money as the Oxbridge grads make (except the process for getting into those unis is far less complicated and intense).

Three UK universities have better average grad salaries than Oxbridge

The University of Buckingham and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) both have average grad salaries of £36,000. This is surprising, as the University of Buckingham isn’t part of the Russell Group (or even particularly famous).

The UK university with the absolute best grad salary in 2026 is Imperial College London. People who went to Imperial rake in an average of £39,000 within 15 months. Woah, they might actually pay off their student loans!

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