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FAQ ↓

  • What is the average graduate salary in Southampton in 2026?

    The average graduate salary in Southampton in May 2026 is £33000, based on analysis of all graduate jobs in Southampton the past 3 months. The average graduate starting salary across the UK in May 2026 is £29817.

    The latest graduate salary analysis 2026

  • How difficult / competitive is it to get a graduate job in Southampton in 2026?

    Based on data gathered in the past three months we estimate that it is challenging to get a graduate job in Southampton in May 2026, compared to other major locations.

  • Is Southampton a popular destination for UK students & graduates?

    Southampton is ranked 13 out of our 45 most popular location for graduates. Southampton is therefore ranked as 'not particularly popular' as a career destination for UK graduates and students.

  • What kind of graduate job can you get in Southampton ?

    In the past 18 months the Military & Defence sector has received the most job postings located in Southampton , followed by Computing & IT and Engineering .

    It could be suggested these are typically the type of graduate jobs you can get in Southampton.

  • Which companies are most active recruiting graduates in Southampton ?

    In the past 18 months Leonardo and Lidl have advertised the most graduate jobs in Southampton .

Read more about working in Southampton ↓

Southampton

Graduates from both of Southampton's universities are renowned for their quality, whether this be their academic prowess, career ambitions or work readiness. Because of this graduates from the South Coast city are always in demand from employers and we wanted to know what made them so different from graduates across the United Kingdom.

To do this we looked to at the data submitted by graduates from both the University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University when they signed up on graduate-jobs.com. We looked at the data submitted for those who graduated between the years 2009 and 2014 to see what comparisons could be drawn between graduates from that particular city and graduates from the rest of the UK. By looking at this we could see exactly why this particular group of graduates were so sought after by graduate employers and recruitment teams.

Sectors

When thinking about trends present among graduates from a particular region or city, we looked at the most popular sectors chosen by graduates. While the choices made by graduates from Southampton were not totally dissimilar from those chosen by the United Kingdom as a whole, there are certain nuisances that can be read from the results.

Many of the sectors found in the UK top 5 are also found in the top 5 sectors from the graduates of Southampton. This includes Marketing, Management, Advertising and Public Relations and Banking.

One interesting result that you can see from the preferred career sectors of graduates from Southampton is an inclination to more creative options. The inclusion of Media in the top five most popular sectors is one indication of this, while also the way that Marketing and Advertising and Public Relations also appears as a more popular option amongst graduates from Southampton when compared to the UK.

Most popular sectors for Southampton graduates

Degree Classifications

Degree classifications can sometimes be a tricky one to compare, especially when looking at cities or regions with only a few or just one university. While this might not always be the most reliable barometer of a graduate's attainment while studying at university it does give a slight indication of achievement and work rate. While for Southampton's graduates this does show partly their appeal to graduate employers.

An impressive 9.6% of graduates from universities in Southampton were given a First Class Degree for their efforts, only marginally behind the national average of 9.8% of graduates. This should be of no concern especially when you look at the impressive amount of graduates got the next classification of an Upper Second class degree (2.1). A very respectable 52.4% of graduates got this classification, which was higher than the national average of 48.1%.

Degree classifications for Southampton graduates

Work Experience

Work experience is increasingly becoming a key factor when it comes to determining a graduate's suitability or aptitude for employment. Employers like to see graduates that apply for positions who already have a grounding in what the work will involve or already have some professional experience in the sector or role. For this students from Southampton do not fare badly at all.

A respectable 13.5%of graduates from Southampton have managed to gain some work experience, just slightly behind the national average of 16.6%. Although this is lower than the national average, Southampton does do better than similar sized cities like Brighton, Leicester and Norwich.

Percentage of Southampton graduates with work experience