More than a quarter of students get top honour as proportion awarded first rises
More than one in four students graduated from university with a first last year, as the proportion awarded the highest honours soared.
New official figures show that the proportion with the highest possible result has risen by almost 50% in five years.
The statistics are likely to spark fresh debate about grade inflation and whether the centuries-old degree classification system is fit for purpose.
The first release of @ukHESA's official student enrolment data for 2016/17 shows an increase in the number of students in higher education, a decline in part-time students, and over a quarter of first degree graduates gaining a first #StudentSFR#HEdatahttps://t.co/sGmclDpS7Hpic.twitter.com/NaWZI9TP34
-- HESA UK (@ukhesa) January 11, 2018
Overall, 26% of graduates who completed their first undergraduate degree in the 2016/17 academic year achieved a first - up from 18% in 2012/13.
This means that the proportion achieving the highest honours has increased by 44% in five years.
The data, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), also shows a hike in the proportions gaining a first or 2:1, with three in four (75%) achieving this benchmark in 2016/17, up from just over two thirds (68%) in 2012/13.
