Sheffield one of the most expensive places for students

[Robin-H]

The claim in the OP has not been made by anybody other than the OP.

The Survey

No University supplied information. No individual University was mentioned.

There is no indication of the % of graduates supplying information.

The students who submitted were given an incentive.

No sample was less than 74 and the average was over 100.

 

The "key findings":

"• Portsmouth has topped the Student Living Index charts as the most cost effective city.

• Students in London are paying below the national sample average for rent. Students in Oxford and Cambridge are paying the most.

• Student loans are contributing £161.14 per week - four times as much as any other source - to a student’s income. Parents are the second largest source of

income.

• Those in Manchester and Belfast work the most hours part-time, and therefore spend the least time on hobbies and socialising.

• Those in Cambridge and Oxford spend the most time on academic studies in comparison to other regions.

• Studying for a university degree is 35% more stressful than managing money to students; however, the majority of students still enjoy their degree.

• 52% of students find managing their money stressful, yet only 39% of them have a dedicated budget.

• Those studying at London universities spend the most on travel and eating out in comparison to other regions."

 

Sample:

"Base: N = 2,514; Student Living = average local weekly student expenditure on living and accommodation costs divided by average local weekly income.

Belfast: N = 83; Birmingham N = 119; Brighton =78; Bristol: N=101; Cambridge: N = 100; Cardiff: N = 102; Dundee: N = 85; Edinburgh: N = 100; Exeter: N = 101; Glasgow: N = 120; Leeds: N = 112; Leicester: N =

101; Liverpool: N= 101; London: N = 130; Manchester: N = 115; Newcastle: N = 101; Norwich: N = 93; Nottingham: N = 110; Oxford: N = 100; Plymouth: N = 112; Portsmouth: N = 83; Reading: N = 74; Sheffield:

N= 110; Southampton: N = 100; York: N = 83 "

 

I was talking about the survey that I read that said that the average Sheffield graduate earns £46,000 5 years after graduation, not the survey referenced by the OP.

[Cyclone]

Actually, if you read the article, it does make the point that the extent to which you get a financial advantage from doing a degree depends on your subject and institution. Of course, the intellectual and social arguments for doing the degree are another issue.

 

Someone choosing to study Law at Oxbridge are obviously going to have significantly enhanced earning potential over a non graduate (providing they don't mess up spectacularly). Someone doing a Hospitality Degree at Derby ex-poly (assuming such a thing exists) probably won't.

 

I would expect students doing most decent degrees at Sheffield, or any Russell group university will still earn more than most non-graduates.

 

We're talking about averages though aren't we? On average, there is no point in doing a degree (for income purposes) anymore.

 

---------- Post added 03-08-2016 at 07:37 ----------

 

Have had a look at the article, but can't see any links to the actual list they refer to or any indication of where they got the data or what calculations they did. For instance, these cannot be average starting salaries, so must be examples of a small number of rather fortunate individuals!

 

Actually, have just realised it's five years after graduating, so not starting salaries. However, would still have liked to seen some more information on e.g. sample size.

 

So would I, I know a fairly large sample of Sheffield graduates, to my knowledge none of them were on 45k 5 years after graduation. So either my sample is unusually skewed, or there's something wrong about that number.

 

And FYI, I know graduates in mechanical engineering (1 dr, 1 msc), computer science (several), medicine (several of these), civil engineering doctorate, physics, dr in something biology related, and a bunch who's specific degree's I couldn't say.

[Dan_Ashcroft]

This is costs compared to average salary

 

The missing thing is that most students aren't from Sheffield - their parents earn London/South-East wages. So for them it's like when we go to Greece or Turkey and everything is very cheap.

[bluecanary]

And FYI, I know graduates in mechanical engineering (1 dr, 1 msc), computer science (several), medicine (several of these), civil engineering doctorate, physics, dr in something biology related, and a bunch who's specific degree's I couldn't say.

 

Actually, I can tell you with some certainty a handful of Computer Science students walk straight into £40k+ jobs on graduation each year (normally in the financial sector). However, a more typical starting salary is mid to high twenties. I assume the same is true for a lot of numerate degrees (Maths, Physics, other engineering....).

 

My guess is that it is generally the ones with the high salaries that are more inclined to respond to the surveys, so yes, the sample will be skewed towards higher earners. However, this should be true for all institutions so still not sure how Sheffield comes out so well!

 

---------- Post added 03-08-2016 at 09:43 ----------

 

This is costs compared to average salary

 

The missing thing is that most students aren't from Sheffield - their parents earn London/South-East wages. So for them it's like when we go to Greece or Turkey and everything is very cheap.

 

A lot of our students tend to come from the Midlands/elsewhere in Yorkshire rather than the south or London. On graduation, many will head south where the higher salaries are (London, Cambridge) but a fair few stay in Sheffield - I can't cite the source, but I seem to remember that Sheffield has one of the highest graduate retention rates of any university, where graduates settle and eventually have families (myself being an example of this).

 

As for Greece and Turkey - not so cheap any more post referendum (certainly Greece)!

[Cyclone]

I can tell you that most don't. Outliers aren't very interesting when you're looking at the average.

 

This is an average across all uni's of course, not just Sheffield, and there will be a spread of salary and some outliers who do really well (or badly).

 

Computer Science £23,628

From

http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/careers/what-do-graduates-do/what-do-graduates-earn/

 

The highest average starting salary is for dentistry at £30,348, but if I remember correctly (I only know 1 dentist and he didn't go to Sheffield) it's a really long course. (5 years by the look of it, then 2 years post graduate trainee status), the salary will be as a trainee though.

 

---------- Post added 03-08-2016 at 10:55 ----------

 

Interesting article about how some of the more well known graduate salary predictions are created and how they don't really represent reality for most people.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/careers/reality-check-graduate-salary

 

FYI - 16 years after graduation (that makes me feel old), probably about half of those people that I know are now on 45k+. (To be fair, they didn't all graduate in 2000, it's 2000 - 2006, so some of them only have 10 years under their belts).

Edited August 3, 2016 by Cyclone

[Robin-H]

Actually, I can tell you with some certainty a handful of Computer Science students walk straight into £40k+ jobs on graduation each year (normally in the financial sector). However, a more typical starting salary is mid to high twenties. I assume the same is true for a lot of numerate degrees (Maths, Physics, other engineering....).

 

My guess is that it is generally the ones with the high salaries that are more inclined to respond to the surveys, so yes, the sample will be skewed towards higher earners. However, this should be true for all institutions so still not sure how Sheffield comes out so well!

 

---------- Post added 03-08-2016 at 09:43 ----------

 

 

A lot of our students tend to come from the Midlands/elsewhere in Yorkshire rather than the south or London. On graduation, many will head south where the higher salaries are (London, Cambridge) but a fair few stay in Sheffield - I can't cite the source, but I seem to remember that Sheffield has one of the highest graduate retention rates of any university, where graduates settle and eventually have families (myself being an example of this).

 

As for Greece and Turkey - not so cheap any more post referendum (certainly Greece)!

 

Interesting point. Looking at the institutions ranked higher than Sheffield, with the exception of Oxford and Cambridge, they are all business or economic schools. I don't have a hard time believe that the average salary 5 years after graduation from Oxbridge, or from a business school, is what is quoted.

 

I do have a hard time believe the figure for Sheffield, and as you say, you would expect all results to be skewed towards the higher end. Without seeing the raw data it's impossible to tell, but it could be just that Sheffield had fewer responses.

[999tigger]

The title is wrong. There is absolutely no suggestion that Sheffield is more expensive than average.

Probably because the OP quotes a source- BBC which quotes a source-RBS, which quotes the real source- Nat West.

 

 

Only 25 town and cities surveyed.

About100 students surveyed in each place.

Students "incentivised" to reply.

 

After Oxbridge where students are dissuaded from working during their 8 week terms, Sheffield students study for longer and earn the least from term time work.

Therefore their annual income is the least.

 

The "league table" is an index called Student Living which is the average local weekly student expenditure on living and accommodation costs divided by average local weekly income for working students. This is no indicator of how expensive Sheffield is.

 

In all aspects Sheffield students spend well below the average.

 

Sheffield rental costs is below average and 19/25.

 

Sheffield students at 20/25 spend less than average on alcohol.

 

Less than average 23/25 on bills, 18/25 on "going out", 16/25 on clothes etc..

 

As Student "happiness" ratings for Sheffield have always been high, it would be easy to extrapolate that because "fun" and "costs" are so low, there is little need for the students to earn extra money.

 

+100 for intelligent post. Saved me time having to look it up. Statistics eh?

[WalkleyIan]

I can't cite the source, but I seem to remember that Sheffield has one of the highest graduate retention rates of any university, where graduates settle and eventually have families (myself being an example of this).

 

Indeed its often quoted and I've met plenty of Sheffield graduates in their late 20s into early 30s who left the area after graduation to move down south only to return once they started to miss the friendly city and the countryside on its door step.

 

I was walking with 3 Geography students on an 18 mile charity event last month and all said they would initially move away after graduation but all 3 intended to find a job in Sheffield and move back after about 5 years

[Dan_Ashcroft]

Indeed its often quoted and I've met plenty of Sheffield graduates in their late 20s into early 30s who left the area after graduation to move down south only to return once they started to miss the friendly city and the countryside on its door step.

 

I was walking with 3 Geography students on an 18 mile charity event last month and all said they would initially move away after graduation but all 3 intended to find a job in Sheffield and move back after about 5 years

 

I think it's more the burnout of the long hours, plus the house prices down here. The quality of life is much better here.

 

But you need to put a bit of time in on the rat race down there to kickstart your career

[WalkleyIan]

I think it's more the burnout of the long hours, plus the house prices down here. The quality of life is much better here.

 

But you need to put a bit of time in on the rat race down there to kickstart your career

 

Exactly that.

 

Met a lad walking his dog down Rivelin one dinner time last year when I was dragging my pooch round. He was late 20s I guess. Got to talking about how nice it was to be able to work in a city where you could get to Rivelin in the lunch hour, watch Kingfishers and Herons and be back at work in time for the afternoon without being missed (as I could last few years, 10 mins cycle then 5 mins car ).

 

He was a Sheffield graduate, moved to London where the money and jobs were and because all his mates did that. Hated it, moved back to Sheffield, works from home so free to spread his work throughout the day.

 

I’m guessing software or freelance web design as there seem to be a lot of people in those sort of setups round Walkley / Crookes .