Figures reveal university divide

Graduates face wildly differing job prospects depending on the university they attended, official statistics show.

More than a fifth of students at some universities failed to find work after graduating last summer, according to data published yesterday by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The figures, for 2009-10, show that at some institutions, particularly specialist colleges, employment rates were very high.

All graduates of the Royal College of Music, Ravensbourne, and the School of Pharmacy, found work or went on to further study last year. The private University of Buckingham also had a 100 per cent employment or study rate.

Robert Gordon University in Scotland saw 95.7 per cent of graduates in work or studying after leaving last year, and Surrey University saw 94.8 per cent.

More than a fifth of students at the University of East London were not working or studying after graduation, and there was a similar picture at the UHI Millennium Institute and Bolton University.