Figures released by the Office for Students (OfS) show that the
proportion of top degree classifications awarded to students has
fallen to pre-pandemic levels, after considerable rises in recent
years.
Today, analysis published by the OfS shows that the number of
graduates that attained first class degrees in 2022-23 fell to
29.6 per cent – a decrease of 3.7 percentage points compared to
the previous year.
Confirming 2022-23 as the second successive year that rates of
first class degrees have fallen, the report also shows that
students who started degrees with the very highest A-level
results remain the most likely to be awarded top grades at
university. Nearly half (47.9 per cent) of students who entered
higher education with grades of AAA and above received first
class degrees in 2022-23. The biggest increase in first class
degree attainment between 2010-11 and 2022-23 was for students
with A-level grades DDD, rising from 6.7 per cent to 24.4 per
cent.
The proportion of top grades awarded to students has risen
significantly since 2010-11. In 2010-11, 15.8 per cent of
students achieved first class degrees; in 2022-23, that figure is
almost double (29.6 per cent).
Of the 29.6 per cent of students awarded first class degrees in
2022-23, nearly half (13.4 per cent) cannot be explained by the
OfS's statistical modelling, which considers factors such as
subject of study and students' entry qualifications.
The proportion of students awarded first and upper second class
degrees combined has also fallen for two successive years. It
fell to 77.6 per cent in 2022-23, compared to 80.7 per cent in
the previous year.
For students with A-levels, the decreases in first and upper
second class degrees awarded between 2021-22 and 2022-23 ranged
from a fall of 2.1 percentage points for students with grades of
AAA and above, through to a sizable 6.3 percentage point
reduction for students entering with grades of CCD.
Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS, said:
‘This report shows that the decade-long increases we've seen in
the award of top degrees is slowing, thanks to the steps
universities have taken to curb grade inflation and to begin to
restore confidence in the qualifications students are
awarded.
‘It's encouraging to see rates decrease for the second year
running and return to pre-pandemic levels.
‘But we are still seeing nearly double the proportion of
graduates awarded first class degrees as we did in 2010-11,
nearly half of which is unexplained. Our report is clear that
while some of this observed increase could be attributed to
factors like improved teaching and learning, we need to guard
against unexplained increases in classifications becoming
embedded because this risks public confidence in higher
education.
‘We support the important actions universities continue to take
to ensure students' hard work is being valued consistently over
time. A first class degree in 2024 should carry the same weight
as one awarded in the past and into the future.'
ENDS
Notes
- The Office for Students is the independent regulator for
higher education in England. Our aim is to ensure that every
student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience
of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.
- The term ‘unexplained' in the analysis means that changes in
attainment since 2010-11 cannot be statistically accounted for by
changes in the characteristics of the graduating cohort in terms
of the explanatory variables included in the statistical
modelling including:
- provider at which the graduate was
registered
- year of graduation
- subject of study
- qualifications on entry into higher
education
- age on entry to higher
education
- The analysis includes data from 143 providers that awarded
256,100 graduates a classified degree in 2022-23 (first degree
and degrees including a postgraduate component). The graduates
were UK-domiciled and studying full time when they started their
course.
