Female students expect to earn £3,300 less than men

Young women at university expect to earn just £19,662 in their first jobs as graduates, while male students think their starting salaries will be more than £3,000 higher at £22,988.

The findings of website Save the Student's National Student Money Survey 2016, which collated responses from more than 2,000 students from across the country, suggest that women are primed to accept the gender pay gap from an early age.

And that's despite female students generally getting better results at university than their male counterparts, and being more likely to have found a job within six months of graduating.

Jake Butler at Save the Student said: "It's sad to hear that female students are undervaluing themselves in comparison to their male counterparts.

"The employment stats for graduates tend to be stronger for women so why is it that they lack the belief?

"It's an important issue that needs addressing so that female graduates can start to smash the gender equality barriers."

Girls are not the only ones who underestimate their worth, though.

The average starting salary for graduates in the UK is currently £25,000, meaning male students also pitched themselves below the market when thinking about how much they are likely to earn.

Butler said: "It's a wider concern that male students are also undervaluing themselves.

"Students across the board are starting to really question the value of their degree in terms of securing top level graduate employment, all against the backdrop of tuition fees increasing yet again."