Universities are handing out first-class degrees to a third of students.
And at one leading institution the top grade is being awarded to more than half of graduates, analysis shows.
Overall, 30 per cent of students were awarded the highest classification in 2024-2025, compared with less than 13 per cent in 2006-2007. This proportion is lower than during the pandemic, when it reached 36 per cent, but has raised alarm once again.
In the early 1990s, only about 8 per cent of students achieved top marks.
Universities have now been asked to review the algorithms they use to award final grades by the Office for Students (OfS) watchdog.
Imperial College London, which ranked first in Europe and second in the world in the QS World University Rankings, awarded 53 per cent of students a first – the highest of any Russell Group university.
Overall, 30 per cent of students were awarded the highest classification in 2024-2025, compared with less than 13 per cent in 2006-2007
This has grown from 31 per cent in 2010, according to the Higher Education Statistics Authority. It was followed by University College London, which handed 41 per cent of students the top grade.
Meanwhile, firsts made up 40 per cent of degree classifications at Durham University, 38 per cent at the University of Manchester and 37 per cent at the University of Leeds. At all three institutions, the proportion doubled between 2010-2011 and 2023-2024.
Over the same period, the proportion of upper second-class (2:1) degrees has remained steady, rising only from 47 per cent to 48 per cent.
This is partly because of an increase in the number of students doing a STEM subject (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which typically award more firsts, whereas in subjects such as English and history where the answer is not ‘right or wrong’, it can be more difficult to achieve.
Higher tuition fees have also been blamed as they can put more pressure on students to leave university with a good degree.
Oxford and Cambridge University also gave more than a third of students the top grade, at 34 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
James Reed, chief executive of Britain’s biggest recruiter, Reed, told The Sunday Times: ‘First-class degrees were meant to be the exception, but the number getting them suggests that’s not the case any more.
‘If we want to restore their standing, I would suggest that only the top 10 per cent should get them.
‘So many people now come out of university with firsts or 2:1s that the class has almost become irrelevant for employers.’
A first is typically awarded for grades of 70 and above out of 100. However, universities have different policies, and some hand it to those who achieve 68 onwards.
Mike Ratcliffe, a higher education adviser and historian, said: ‘Historically, quantitative subjects have felt more comfortable giving marks at the top end.’
A spokesman for Imperial said: ‘We have confidence in the degree outcomes of our students, given our world-class teaching. The university has quality assurance procedures to ensure degree standards are consistent over time.’
