Giving you more from day one and beyond – the benefits of a UON degree
Date 27 January 2025
27.01.2025Following the publication of a new report from King’s College London about the benefits of going to university, our Vice Chancellor blogs about why UON is a destination for prospective students to consider.
To begin this blog, I’m going to do something I wouldn’t ordinarily do when blogging. I’m going to start with something negative:
- ‘The most ‘Mickey Mouse’ degree in Britain’
- ‘Tories vow to ban ‘rip-off’ university degrees’
As you may tell, these words are taken from newspaper headlines, and surprise, surprise, both are from the Daily Mail.
Suffice to say, the headlines are clickbait – if you look a little more closely, we find that a degree is worthwhile and a sound, long-term financial investment (I’ll come back to this point later in the article).
Headlines like these are also at odds with another feature of theirs, published earlier this month, about the benefits and support universities offer new students. University of Northampton is in there and with good reason considering what we have to offer.
A great package of support
We want to help our new undergraduates, so they hit the ground running as they embark on one of the most exciting and life-changing experiences of their lives.
This includes a free laptop, or £500 to put toward UON accommodation (and no, you don’t need a deposit), free sports and societies or campus credit for refreshments in the many eateries at Waterside Campus.
All of this and a range of professionals who are on-hand to advise and guide students throughout their time with us adds up to everything a budding undergraduate student needs from their university. There’s more about what we offer on our Student Perks page.
Financial benefits for students and graduates
As I mentioned earlier, a degree is a life changing experience. This is the point where we start along the road toward their career dreams, whether as artists, lawyers, health and care professionals or one of umpteen other sectors.
The other benefits of coming to university are too numerous to list – you can read more about them in the ‘Are universities worth it?’ report from King’s College London – but graduates are ahead of their non-university peers in many ways, including their post-graduation salaries.
Data in the KCL report suggests that between the ages of 23 and 31 average earnings grow by 72 per cent for graduates, more than double the 31 per cent for non-graduates with at least two A-levels.
For those who were previously on free school meals, average graduate earnings growth is 75 per cent, while for non-graduates it is 26 per cent.
By the age of 31, graduates are earning 37 per cent more than non-graduates with at least two A-levels – £30,750 and £22,500, respectively.
We play our part in this, in Northamptonshire and the wider region, as our recent Economic Impact Assessment revealed. UON supported 10,610 jobs during 2023/24, and 54 percent of our graduates entered full-time employment in the education and health sectors, compared to the sector total of 38 percent.
Helping you to career success – the Employment Promise
At UON, we’re committed to making sure this happens for as many of our graduates as possible.
As part of our excellent benefits package, we offer an Employment Promise. This means that for undergraduates who meet conditions that confirm their commitment to their studies and career development, we guarantee to help them find a job or get a paid internship if they haven’t found paid experience within six months of graduating.
Of course, going to university isn’t just about getting a good job. There’s the social life and getting to know new people from all walks of life, but you are also studying something that tells the world about the type of person you are, what your passions are and why you want to devote the time to dig deep into them to explore that passion. And I speak personally here when I write this, as I felt the same when I studied for my first degree back in the day.
Come and join us!
And interest in higher education looks set to grow. The University and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) predict there will be up to a million university applications by 2030. This year’s UCAS application deadline – 29 January – is fast approaching; for young people looking to get started on the road to career success, see this advice article about what to do next from Chronicle and Echo.
We also run regular Open Days and Evenings throughout the year if you want to come and talk to us about the opportunities University of Northampton offers.
Professor Anne-Marie Kilday is Vice Chancellor and Professor of Criminal History at the University of Northampton. She writes and researches on various aspects of criminal history, particularly focusing on violent behaviour and gendered criminality.