The 10 universities where students receive the highest grades

St Andrews and Durham revealed as having strong honours records too

(Getty)

University applicants who are looking to graduate with either a first or upper second class honours degree should head to an Oxbridge institution, according to a new league table.

The latest Complete University Guide (CUG) rankings have found a staggering 92 per cent of Oxford graduates left with a strong honours degree last year, followed closely by Cambridge (91 per cent).

Using data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) for the academic year 2014/15, CUG has said the class of degree achieved can impact a graduate’s employment prospects.

St Andrews - which was also named the best university in Scotland - has come in at third place (90.7 per cent), while just over 89 per cent of Durham grads left with either a 2:1 or first last summer.

Top 10 universities with a good honours record
(% of 2015 graduates leaving with 2:1 or above):

1. Oxford - 92.4    
2. Cambridge - 91.0    
3. St Andrews - 90.7    
4. Durham - 89.4    
5. University College London - 89.0    
6. Bristol - 87.9    
7. London School of Economics - 86.6    
8. Imperial College London - 86.5    
9. Aston - 86.2    
10. Birmingham - 86.1

As Oxbridge universities take the lead, according to the same rankings, it’s St George’s, University of London grads that have the highest chance of getting a job after graduation, followed by those from Imperial College London.

Dr Bernard Kingston, principal author of CUG, described how there is a “considerable degree of stability” at the upper end of the main top universities in the UK league table this year.

He said: “While dramatic changes may be newsworthy, this stability indicates the rankings are robust and credible for young people seeking a university place - our primary purpose.”