Getting 2:1 less important than ever for graduate jobs in UK

Leaving university with a 2:1 is becoming less important than ever to secure graduate jobs in the UK, according to an annual survey of employers.

With fewer than half of companies requiring the qualification, the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) said, businesses were increasingly seeing it as a “crude” measurement.

The organisation said it had reported a growth in the number of employers who had adopted no minimum entry requirements over the last few years – driven partly by a desire by organisations to control their own quality requirements – but this year saw a reversal of that trend.

The ISE’s annual Student Recruitment Survey of 169 large UK student employers found that 18 per cent set no minimum entry requirement for graduates – down from 26 per cent the year before.

Meanwhile, the proportion setting a 2:1 as the minimum fell to 44 per cent – the lowest ever level, and down from 76 per cent in the first year of data, 2013-14.

And for the first time, fewer than one in 10 employers set minimum Ucas A-level grade requirements – down from 40 per cent in 2013-14.

Stephen Isherwood, the ISE chief executive, told Times Higher Education that this was driven by employers’ continued push for greater diversity in their intakes, which such a cut-off might affect, and increasing reliance on technology for more authentic forms of testing.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2:1 proportion falls further and further as employers use more testing up front in order to make those initial screening decisions and maybe as more employers get evidence that a 2:1 doesn’t correlate to success in the role,” he said.

“But it doesn’t mean that getting a 2:1 Is a waste of time. If somebody studies hard and does well to get to the level of 2:1 or above it probably means they’re quite a well-motivated individual, which will have some correlation with work performance.

“It doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant, but…I think it shows that employers are accepting that a 2:1 is a pretty crude way of saying whether a candidate can or can’t do a job.”

Mr Isherwood said that the move away from a 2:1 requirement had little to do with the inflated grades seen during the coronavirus pandemic, but was visible long before it.

The survey, which was conducted in July and August and covered more than 40,000 hires, found that graduate vacancies rose by 6 per cent in the last year – more than was predicted.

“Despite economic uncertainty, it’s positive to see vacancies are still growing,” said Mr Isherwood.

“Employers just need more and more skilled hires, and are really reluctant to turn off graduate hiring even though the economy is struggling, because they just know that without that talent pipeline it will really hit them hard two or three years down the line,” he said.

The report also shows that the median graduate salary is £32,000, which is a 3 per cent rise on last year, but worth £1,760 less than it was 10 years ago. 

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com