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Languages and area studies Graduate Salary (UK, 2022-23)
UK graduates who studied Languages and area studies had a median salary of £33,900 five years after graduating (£25,200 one year after) — ranked #14 of 34 subjects, above the £31,400 all-subject median. A median, not a guarantee. Real DfE LEO data (OGL v3.0).
What is the typical graduate salary for a Languages and area studies degree in the UK?
UK graduates who studied Languages and area studies had a median salary of £33,900 five years after graduating (and £25,200 one year after) — ranking #14 of 34 subjects and above the £31,400 all-subject median. This is the typical (median) graduate in sustained employment: half earned more, half less. It is not a guarantee. Source: DfE LEO, 2022-23 tax year (OGL v3.0).
This page shows the typical (median) salary of UK graduates who studied Languages and area studies, from the Department for Education’s Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data. The median is the middle graduate in sustained employment — half earned more and half earned less — so it describes a typical outcome rather than a promise. The quartiles below show how wide the range is.
Languages and area studies graduate earnings — the numbers
| Measure | Languages and area studies | All subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Median, 1 year after graduating | £25,200 | — |
| Median, 5 years after graduating | £33,900 | £31,400 |
| Lower quartile (5 years) | £26,600 | — |
| Upper quartile (5 years) | £45,300 | — |
| Rank by 5-year median | #14 of 34 | — |
Based on 5,285 graduates in the five-year cohort (2016/17). The DfE LEO release publishes one-year and five-year medians (separate cohorts), so a three-year figure is not available for this subject; earnings typically rise with experience between the two points shown.
What this means
A median of £33,900 places Languages and area studies at #14 of 34 subjects, £2,500 above the £31,400 all-subject median. Because half of Languages and area studies graduates earned between £26,600 and £45,300, the subject you study is only one of many factors — role, employer, region and experience all shape what an individual actually earns.
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
£25,200
Median, 5 years after
£33,900
Rank (of 34)
#14
The middle 50% of Languages and area studies graduates earned between £26,600 and £45,300 five years on. That five-year median is £2,500 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.
Languages and area studies graduate salary — FAQ
- What is the typical salary for Languages and area studies graduates five years after graduating?
- The median salary for UK graduates who studied Languages and area studies was £33,900 five years after graduating (the 2016/17 cohort, measured in the 2022-23 tax year). The median is the middle graduate in sustained employment — half earned more and half earned less. The middle 50% earned between £26,600 (lower quartile) and £45,300 (upper quartile). Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- What do Languages and area studies graduates earn one year after graduating?
- One year after graduating, the median salary for Languages and area studies graduates was £25,200 (a later cohort, also measured in the 2022-23 tax year). Earnings typically rise with experience, which is why the five-year median (£33,900) is higher. Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- Where does Languages and area studies rank among UK degree subjects for earnings?
- By five-year median earnings, Languages and area studies ranks #14 of 34 subjects in the DfE LEO data. Its £33,900 median is above the £31,400 all-subject median. Rankings reflect typical outcomes by subject, not the earning potential of any one graduate. Source: DfE LEO, OGL v3.0.
- Is a Languages and area studies graduate guaranteed to earn this much?
- No. £33,900 is the median — the typical graduate, not a guarantee or an average. Half of Languages and area studies graduates earned less and half earned more; the middle 50% earned between £26,600 and £45,300. Individual earnings depend on role, employer, region and experience. 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, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The figures cover UK-domiciled first-degree graduates of English higher education providers in sustained employment. No figure is modelled, estimated, or interpolated.
Compare with similar-earning subjects
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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. The £33,900 headline is a median — 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.