Percentage of undergraduate degrees awarded each grade in the UK 2011-2021

In the 2020/21 academic year, 36 percent of undergraduate students obtaining their degree were awarded a degree with first-class honors, the highest possible grade for UK graduates. Almost half of all students achieved an upper second or 2.1, with 14 percent obtaining a lower second or 2.2, and just three percent of graduates obtained a third, the lowest possible pass grade. The share of UK students graduating with a first-class degree has increased significantly in this time period, while the share of students obtaining a 2.2 has fallen the most in the same time period.

The UK's top universities

Britain's oldest and most famous universities, Oxford and Cambridge, remained the two highest-rated universities in the UK, with the Imperial College in London a distant third. According to the ranking, the University of Edinburgh was the top university outside of the south of England, with the University of Manchester being the highest ranked university in the north of England.

Lithuania has the highest share of young graduates in Europe

In 2018, approximately 49 percent of people aged between 30 and 34 in the UK had obtained a degree, the eleventh-highest in Europe. Lithuania was the country with the highest-share of 30-34 year old's with a a degree, at 57.6 percent, followed by Cyprus, and the Republic of Ireland. When the age group is expanded to include the entire working age population (15-64 year old's) Ireland had the highest share of graduates at 40.5 percent, with the UK having the third-highest share of graduates in this age group at 39.3 percent.