These 30 European universities have the highest-paid graduates (and they’re not the ones you think)
That much-coveted place at university might not actually earn you as much as you hoped: new research shows UK institutions are disconcertingly far down when it comes to the eventual salary of their graduates.
The figures, put together by salary benchmarking site Emolument.com, show graduates from the universities traditionally seen as the UK's top two – Oxford and Cambridge – aren't necessarily the UK's best-paid.
While Switzerland's University of St Gallen has Europe's best-paid graduates, earning a median of £160,000, London Business School is the top-paid university in the UK, with a median salary of £102,000. That's followed by the London School of Economics, whose graduates are paid £85,000.
It's worth pointing out the survey took into account both bachelor's and master's degrees – which will push up the average for the universities focusing on post-graduate degrees.
Read more: Top think tank says big bucks for graduates may be about to end
The European universities with the best-paid graduates
| University | Country | Median Pay | |
| 1 | University of St. Gallen | Switzerland | £160,000 |
| 2 | University of Zurich | Switzerland | £140,000 |
| 3 | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich | Switzerland | £135,000 |
| 4 | Zurich University of Applied Science | Switzerland | £127,000 |
| 5 | London Business School | UK | £102,000 |
| 6 | HEC Paris | France | £97,000 |
| 7 | MINES ParisTech | France | £91,000 |
| 8 | Ecole Polytechnique | France | £88,000 |
| 9 | ESLSCA Business School | France | £86,000 |
| 10 | London School of Economics | UK | £85,000 |
| 11 | ESCP Europe | France | £84,000 |
| 12 | Ecole des Ponts ParisTech | France | £83,000 |
| 13 | Erasmus University Rotterdam | Netherlands | £83,000 |
| 14 | Bristol University | UK | £82,000 |
| 15 | Cambridge University & Judge Business School | UK | £82,000 |
| 16 | Oxford University & Said Business School | UK | £82,000 |
| 17 | Ecole Centrale Paris | France | £81,000 |
| 18 | Imperial College London & Tanaka Business School | UK | £75,000 |
| 19 | Maastricht University | Netherlands | £74,000 |
| 20 | Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management | Belgium | £73,000 |
| 21 | EM Lyon | France | £72,000 |
| 22 | ESSEC | France | £71,000 |
| 23 | Leuven University | Belgium | £70,000 |
| 24 | City University London & Cass Business School | UK | £70,000 |
| 25 | Warwick University & Business School | UK | £69,000 |
| 26 | Catholic Institute of Business Administration Comillas | Spain | £68,000 |
| 27 | EDHEC Business School | France | £67,000 |
| 28 | Bocconi University & SDA School of Management | Italy | £66,000 |
| 29 | University of Lund | Sweden | £66,000 |
| 30 | Paris Dauphine University | France | £65,000 |
The figures suggested Swiss grads earn 40 per cent more than their UK peers from top universities – although the cost of living in Switzerland is also significantly higher – at 125.7 on the cost of living index, compared with the UK, which is at 72.7.
"The question of return on investment is at the forefront of most students' mind when they look to enroll on a course," said Alice Leguay, co-founder of Emolument.com.
"Being mindful that masters' fees tend to be higher than bachelor's, they clearly drive high pay levels upon graduation. Some universities also see a high proportion of their students start their careers in the high paying financial sector, with a clear aim: pay off their debts and polish off their formal education with hands on experience before moving to other horizons."