GeraLearn / UK Graduate Salaries by Subject
UK Graduate Salaries by Subject (2022-23)
The typical UK graduate earned £31,400 five years after graduating. By subject, the median ranged from £53,300 (Medicine and dentistry) down to £24,500 (Performing arts). These are medians, not guarantees. Real DfE LEO data (OGL v3.0).
What is the typical UK graduate salary by degree subject five years after graduating?
Across all subjects, the median UK graduate earned £31,400 five years after graduating (2022-23 tax year). The highest-earning subject was Medicine and dentistry (£53,300) and the lowest was Performing arts (£24,500). These are medians — the typical graduate, half earned more and half less — not guarantees. Source: DfE LEO (OGL v3.0).
Graduate salaries by subject describe what UK graduates typically earn depending on the subject they studied, measured by the Department for Education’s Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data, which links student records to tax and benefits data. The headline figure is the median — the middle graduate in sustained employment, with half earning more and half earning less. It is a typical outcome, not a guarantee, and the quartiles below show how wide the range is within every subject.
Graduate salary comparator
Pick a degree subject to compare its typical (median) graduate earnings against the all-subject median. Every figure is a real published DfE LEO median — not a guarantee.
Median, 1 year after
£40,200
Median, 5 years after
£53,300
Rank (of 34)
#1
The middle 50% of Medicine and dentistry graduates earned between £46,400 and £61,700 five years on. That five-year median is £21,900 above the £31,400 all-subject median.
Medians, not guarantees or averages. Figures are DfE LEO medians for UK-domiciled first-degree graduates of English providers in sustained employment. Individual earnings vary by role, employer, region and experience. Nothing here is modelled or interpolated.
UK graduate salaries by subject, ranked (2022-23)
| # | Subject | 1yr median | 5yr median | Middle 50% (5yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine and dentistry | £40,200 | £53,300 | £46,400–£61,700 |
| 2 | Economics | £29,600 | £50,400 | £36,100–£67,500 |
| 3 | Physics and astronomy | £29,200 | £42,000 | £32,500–£58,000 |
| 4 | Engineering | £30,300 | £41,600 | £32,500–£52,600 |
| 5 | Mathematical sciences | £28,500 | £41,600 | £31,400–£56,900 |
| 6 | Veterinary sciences | £32,800 | £40,200 | £29,200–£48,900 |
| 7 | Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy | £27,400 | £39,100 | £25,900–£47,800 |
| 8 | Medical sciences | £25,900 | £38,700 | £30,300–£48,200 |
| 9 | Computing | £28,100 | £38,000 | £27,400–£54,000 |
| 10 | Architecture, building and planning | £28,800 | £36,900 | £28,100–£51,800 |
| 11 | Chemistry | £26,300 | £35,400 | £28,800–£46,700 |
| 12 | Politics | £25,600 | £35,400 | £27,400–£48,900 |
| 13 | Nursing and midwifery | £31,400 | £34,300 | £26,300–£41,200 |
| 14 | Languages and area studies | £25,200 | £33,900 | £26,600–£45,300 |
| 15 | Geography, earth and environmental studies | £24,500 | £33,600 | £27,400–£42,700 |
| 16 | Business and management | £25,200 | £33,200 | £25,200–£46,400 |
| 17 | Allied health | £26,300 | £32,100 | £23,700–£39,600 |
| 18 | Law | £23,000 | £32,100 | £24,500–£46,000 |
| 19 | Biosciences | £23,000 | £31,400 | £24,800–£40,200 |
| 20 | Philosophy and religious studies | £23,000 | £31,300 | £24,100–£41,200 |
| 21 | History and archaeology | £22,600 | £31,000 | £24,500–£40,500 |
| 22 | Materials and technology | £25,600 | £30,700 | £22,600–£41,600 |
| 23 | Combined and general studies | £24,100 | £29,200 | £17,500–£42,300 |
| 24 | English studies | £21,500 | £28,800 | £22,600–£35,800 |
| 25 | General, applied and forensic sciences | £22,600 | £28,800 | £23,400–£36,100 |
| 26 | Sport and exercise sciences | £20,800 | £28,500 | £23,000–£34,700 |
| 27 | Health and social care | £23,400 | £28,100 | £20,100–£36,900 |
| 28 | Psychology | £21,500 | £28,100 | £22,300–£35,000 |
| 29 | Sociology, social policy and anthropology | £21,900 | £28,100 | £21,900–£35,000 |
| 30 | Media, journalism and communications | £21,200 | £27,700 | £21,900–£34,300 |
| 31 | Education and teaching | £23,000 | £27,400 | £19,700–£33,600 |
| 32 | Agriculture, food and related studies | £21,900 | £26,600 | £21,200–£34,300 |
| 33 | Creative arts and design | £20,400 | £25,600 | £19,300–£32,500 |
| 34 | Performing arts | £18,200 | £24,500 | £17,900–£30,700 |
| — | All subjects (median) | — | £31,400 | — |
All 34 subjects are listed. Click any subject for its full breakdown — median earnings, quartile spread, rank and context. Figures are medians of graduates in sustained employment; the one-year and five-year figures are separate cohorts.
UK graduate salaries by subject — FAQ
- What is the average UK graduate salary five years after graduating?
- Across all degree subjects, the median UK graduate earned £31,400 five years after graduating (the 2016/17 cohort, measured in the 2022-23 tax year). The median is the typical graduate in sustained employment — half earned more and half earned less. Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- Which degree subject leads to the highest UK graduate salary?
- By five-year median earnings, Medicine and dentistry is highest at £53,300, followed by other STEM and professional subjects. The lowest five-year median is Performing arts at £24,500. Rankings reflect typical outcomes by subject, not the potential of any individual graduate. Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- Do these salaries mean a graduate is guaranteed to earn this much?
- No. Every figure is a median — the typical graduate, not a guarantee or an average. For each subject, half of graduates earned less and half earned more, and the data also shows the lower and upper quartiles so you can see the spread. Individual earnings depend on role, employer, region and experience. Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- What is the difference between the one-year and five-year figures?
- The five-year median is the headline measure (graduates from the 2016/17 academic year). The one-year-after figure, where shown, is a separate later cohort, also measured in the 2022-23 tax year. Earnings usually rise with experience, so the five-year median is typically higher than the one-year figure. Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- Is this real government data?
- Yes. Every figure is a published DfE "LEO Graduate and Postgraduate Outcomes" median for the 2022-23 tax year, covering UK-domiciled first-degree graduates of English higher education providers in sustained employment, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. No figure is modelled, estimated, or interpolated.
Explore graduate salaries by subject
Medicine and dentistry
Median £53,300 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Economics
Median £50,400 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Physics and astronomy
Median £42,000 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Engineering
Median £41,600 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Mathematical sciences
Median £41,600 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Veterinary sciences
Median £40,200 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy
Median £39,100 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Medical sciences
Median £38,700 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Computing
Median £38,000 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Architecture, building and planning
Median £36,900 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Chemistry
Median £35,400 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Politics
Median £35,400 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Nursing and midwifery
Median £34,300 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Languages and area studies
Median £33,900 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Geography, earth and environmental studies
Median £33,600 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Business and management
Median £33,200 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Allied health
Median £32,100 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Law
Median £32,100 (5yr) · above the all-subject median
Biosciences
Median £31,400 (5yr) · in line with the all-subject median
Philosophy and religious studies
Median £31,300 (5yr) · in line with the all-subject median
History and archaeology
Median £31,000 (5yr) · in line with the all-subject median
Materials and technology
Median £30,700 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Combined and general studies
Median £29,200 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
English studies
Median £28,800 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
General, applied and forensic sciences
Median £28,800 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Sport and exercise sciences
Median £28,500 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Health and social care
Median £28,100 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Psychology
Median £28,100 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
Median £28,100 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Media, journalism and communications
Median £27,700 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Education and teaching
Median £27,400 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Agriculture, food and related studies
Median £26,600 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Creative arts and design
Median £25,600 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Performing arts
Median £24,500 (5yr) · below the all-subject median
Related UK education data
- UK student finance — tuition fees, maintenance loan and repayment thresholds
- A-level results by local authority — the entry-level grades that shape university offers
- GCSE results by local authority — Progress 8, Attainment 8, Gera Academic Attainment Index
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Browse courses →Source: DfE — LEO Graduate and Postgraduate Outcomes, Tax year 2022-23. Figures are for 2022-23 UK tax year (DfE LEO graduate outcomes), covering UK-domiciled first-degree graduates of English higher education providers in sustained employment. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. All figures are medians of graduates in sustained employment — the typical graduate, not an average and not a guarantee. The one-year and five-year figures are separate cohorts. Last refreshed 2026-06-25. No figure is modelled or interpolated.