A recent study has found that graduates with a state school education are less likely than their privately-educated peers to find high-paid jobs, even though graduates educated in the state sector gain better degrees. State-educated graduates who do go into professional jobs have lower starting salaries than people with the same degree but a private education.

Figures published in a study by Bristol University found that 88 per cent of students from state schools gained 2:1s or higher in their final degree, compared to 85 per cent of students from the independent sector. Among the Russell Group and 1994 Group universities in 2009-2011, more than 20 per cent of state school graduates got first-class degrees compared to 18 per cent of privately-educated university students. In the same time period, 58 per cent of state school graduates from top universities had professional jobs, compared to 74 per cent of graduates from independent schools. Furthermore, for students with upper second degrees, the starting salaries of graduates from the state sector were on average £2,000 lower than privately-educated graduates in the same jobs. For first-class degrees, this gap widened to £3,000.

The director of the University of Cambridge's Careers Service, Gordon Chesterman, has recognised a difference between the employment prospects of students from the state sector and those from independent schools. He suggests that students from a lower socio-economic background “lack two key features enjoyed by wealthier students – an address book full of friends and relatives who can advise...them [about] graduate-level work experience opportunities. They also lack adequate funds to undertake unpaid internships. Internships are becoming more and more important in securing permanent roles after graduation.” Mary Harvey, a first-year PPS student at Trinity, concurs: “Despite having a first and a masters with distinction from SOAS, my [state-school-educated] sister can't find any paid work and is having to do unpaid work experience. She has to support herself living in London by working evenings and weekends.”

A 2011 study found that at the University of Cambridge there is no disparity between the degrees awarded to students who were educated in the state sector and those from the independent sector. The University currently has no data linking the employment prospects of their graduates to their secondary school education.

The Careers Service has expanded the bursaries it offers to students to enable them to take the unpaid internships which are vital to securing graduate employment, particularly in the arts and the media. Considering that over half of the UK’s 100 largest employers admit that they are unlikely to interview any applicant who does not already have some form of relevant experience on their CV, this fund helps those who would otherwise not be able to afford to work unpaid for months at a time. Since the scheme was launched seven years ago, all but two recipients of the bursaries are confirmed to be in employment.