Find out which university degrees could earn you most across your lifetime

Key Points:

• New research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reveals that the financial returns of university degrees vary significantly by subject, with medicine graduates earning up to £400,000 more over their lifetime compared to non-graduates, while subjects like creative arts, philosophy, and languages may offer little to no financial benefit.
• On average, graduates earn around £100,000 more over their lifetime than non-graduates after taxes and student loan repayments, but about a quarter of graduates, especially those with low prior academic attainment, may be financially worse off by attending university.
• The Department for Education (DfE) plans to cap enrollment in courses with poor financial returns and will consult on introducing minimum English language requirements for prospective undergraduates seeking student finance.
• Social mobility charity Sutton Trust emphasizes that university remains the most reliable route to upward mobility despite financial risks, but highlights a shortage of high-quality alternatives like apprenticeships and technical pathways for young people not pursuing university degrees.
• The government aims to address concerns over low-value degrees and poor-quality courses by limiting growth in certain programs and improving the quality and accessibility of alternative education and training routes.