Chemistry Graduate
Electric Revolution Skills Hub
Competitive
South West

The average graduate salary in Bristol in May 2025 is £28826, based on analysis of all graduate jobs in Bristol the past 3 months. The average graduate starting salary across the UK in May 2025 is £29674.
The latest graduate salary analysis 2025
Based on data gathered in the past three months we estimate that it is challenging to get a graduate job in Bristol in May 2025, compared to other major locations.
Bristol is ranked 5 out of our 45 most popular location for graduates. Bristol is therefore ranked as 'quite popular' as a career destination for UK graduates and students.
In the past 18 months the Management sector has received the most job postings located in Bristol , followed by Finance and Consultancy .
It could be suggested these are typically the type of graduate jobs you can get in Bristol.
In the past 18 months KPMG , Lloyds Banking Group and Enterprise Mobility have advertised the most graduate jobs in Bristol .
We wanted to know how graduates from Bristol differed from those from around the country in terms of career ambitions, academic achievement and work experience.
To do this, we looked at graduates who signed up with graduate-jobs.com in the last five years to see how their most popular sectors line up against national trends, how their degree classifications compare, and whether or not their rates of work experience are similar to those from the rest of the UK.
The five most popular sectors for graduates from Bristol match those from graduates around the country: Management, Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations, Banking and Finance, but one key difference turns up: sectors like Advertising and Public Relations and Marketing are more popular with students from Bristol. Marketing is chosen by 30.3% of students from Bristol, over the national average of 28.3%, and Advertising and Public Relations is chosen by 26.1% of graduates from Bristol universities compared to just 22.3% of graduates from the rest of the UK.
The results of our study show that Bristol produces astute and hardworking graduates. Of Bristol's graduates, 11% receive the top classification of a First Class degree - slightly ahead of the national average of 9.8%. But the quality of Bristol's graduates can really be seen in the 54.5% who earned an Upper Second Class (2:1) degree, much higher than the national average of 48.1%.
Graduates from Bristol have proved themselves to be hardworking - 17.7% are able to earn work experience alongside their studies, above the national average of 16.6%. Bristol is also above similar cities like Leeds (15.2%), Manchester (15.2%) and Newcastle (15.1%). Excellent news for graduates from Bristol, as employers often consider work experience as a key factor in a graduate's employability.