St Andrews leads way in alumni successes

GRADUATES of St Andrews University, where Prince William and Kate Middleton met and studied, have a higher chance of becoming self-made millionaires than former students of any other Scottish institution.
Duchess of Cambridge: A former St Andrews student. Picture: PADuchess of Cambridge: A former St Andrews student. Picture: PA
Duchess of Cambridge: A former St Andrews student. Picture: PA

The 2013 High Fliers Report also revealed that St Andrews alumni have a higher chance of landing a graduate-level job than graduates of any other Scottish university.

Almost 20,000 final year students at 30 universities were interviewed for the report, by London-based High Fliers Research Limited, which looks at the career and salary prospects of graduates.

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The report says that work experience is becoming “essential” when it comes to securing graduate-level employment, with those having experience in the workplace being three times more likely to land a job offer than those without.

Data shows that 62 per cent of students who graduate from St Andrews have had internship experience by the time they graduate, the fifth highest percentage in the UK.

The survey shows that 38 per cent of St Andrews students expect to be working in graduate jobs in the coming year, while the remaining 62 per cent have a wide variety of other plans.

These include postgraduate study, voluntary work, travel, and starting a business.

St Andrews is the only Scottish university to feature in the High Fliers Report.

Also featured are top English institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, the London School of Economics, Bath, Durham and Warwick.

Paul Brown, director of the careers centre, said: “There are plenty of reasons for St Andrews graduates to feel confident about their future career prospects as they graduate.

“Our students are amongst the brightest in the country, but they also work hard to gain valuable work experience and above all throw themselves into the huge variety of extra curricular opportunities which are available to them at St Andrews, which also greatly enhances their employability.

“It is gratifying to see that their energy, focus and commitment is amply recognised and rewarded by employers.”