More than half of graduates from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) are choosing to build their careers in the East Midlands, a new report suggests.
And the study, by London Economics, also shows that graduates who do so are earning around a third more than those who choose not to go to university at all.
The figures show the impact the university, which last year saw more than 7,700 students graduate from the Leicester campus, has on the local area.
Professor Katie Normington, Vice-Chancellor for DMU, said the figures showed the value university education offers.
She said: “We have read and heard the arguments questioning the value of universities but these results show quite clearly that, on average, those who graduate earn more than those who don’t.
“But money is far from the only value university offers and students are far from the only recipients of that value.
“Each year, thousands of our highly-skilled graduates are going out into the East Midlands, finding their dream jobs, building their careers and, collectively, growing and strengthening the region’s economy.
“The cumulative effect of this on an area is huge and I am very proud that DMU is playing such a key role in this.”
READ THE FULL REPORT
The report – which uses two key datasets, the Department for Education’s Longitudinal Education Outcomes, and the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey - offers a comprehensive picture of what graduates from DMU study, where they go on to live after finishing their course, what they go on to do and how much they earn.
Compared to graduates from other comparable East Midlands universities, a much higher proportion of DMU graduates remain in the East Midlands post-graduation. One year after graduation, 47% of DMU graduates live in the East Midlands compared to 39% for other comparable East Midlands universities.
This trend remains consistent for those who graduated three and five years earlier, with proportions standing at 51% and 49% respectively for DMU and 37% and 36% for graduates from comparable East Midlands universities.
More generally, around six in 10 DMU graduates stay in the East and West Midlands regions one year after graduation (compared with approximately five in 10 for the comparison group).
The report also estimates that in the East Midlands there is an average hourly earnings premium of approximately 32% for male graduates and 36% for female graduates, corresponding to £5.70 and £4.90 per hour respectively (compared to those holding a level 3 qualification).
Among male graduates, around 70% graduated with a degree in one of the following five subject areas: business and management, computing, social sciences, engineering and technology, and subjects allied to medicine.
Among females, 22% first-degree graduates studied subjects allied to medicine and around 18% in design, and creative and performing arts. A smaller proportion of graduates (14%) were in business and management while 13% were in social sciences.
Posted on Thursday 11 July 2024