According to data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) the proportion of students leaving university with top honours has risen in the last five years to reach record levels (24%).
The figures, which cover UK universities and colleges, are likely to spark fresh debate about whether the centuries-old degree classification system is still fit for purpose.
Figures show that in 2015-16 almost three in four students (73%) were awarded at least an upper second (2:1), compared with 66% five years earlier.
In 2015, Ernst and Young announced it was to remove academic and education details, including degree classifications, from its trainee application process and would decide who to interview based on candidates’ performance in online tests.
Penguin Random House UK announced scrapping of the requirement for recruits to have a university degree, highlighting an increase in evidence that there was no simple link between having a degree and performance in the workplace.
