Graduates of Birmingham University high on super-rich list
They are considerably richer than yow. Most people would look at Oxford or Cambridge for the wealthiest graduates but a survey shows Birmingham University students are also among the most likely to be multi-millionaires.
The university is 10th in rich list for producing the most millionaires.
It has the largest proportion of self-made millionaires – people who have made their fortunes entirely on their own as opposed to inheriting wealth, as comedian Harry Enfield famously sent up with his Brummie businessman sketch.
The university, part of the Russell Group of universities, has produced 68 millionaires with an average personal fortune of £69m.
Rich alumni include David Gill, the chief executive of Manchester United. The 55-year-old studied at the university before qualifying as a chartered accountant.
Chairman of the Advertising Association Cilla Snowball also graduated from Birmingham University in 1981. She is now considered one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK.
Oxford is at the top of the rich list having produced 401 graduates worth £20 million or more.
Cambridge comes second with 361 but has the most billionaires.
The rich list was drawn up by counting the number of graduates from each university worth at least £20 million and taking into account their earnings, properties and other assets.
However, many of these will have been people who came from money.
The survey found that 84 per cent of the 68 super-rich from the University of Birmingham made their money on their own without inheritances.
Mike Byrne, European sales director at Wealth-X, which carried out the research, said: "Seventeen out of the 24 Russell Group universities are featured in the report, which reflects the ability of such prestigious institutions to attract high calibre individuals, who proceed to create financial success."
While the University of Wolverhampton is not on the list it has still produced success stories.
Trevor Beattie, the advertising executive who created campaigns for French Connection and was the brains behind Wonderbra ads, studied graphic design and photography there when it was Wolverhampton Polytechnic.
