Rise in top degrees at Midlands universities

Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency found that the University of Wolverhampton has seen the biggest rise in figures.

In 2010/11, 10.3 per cent of students gained first class honours and that has now risen 13.8 per cent in 2015/16, with 24 per cent of students making the grade.

Birmingham City University saw 16.7 per cent bag a first in 2010/11 and 24.3 per cent in 2015/16 – a rise of 7.6 per cent.

The University of Birmingham's number of first class degrees spiked by 12.1 per cent, from 17.7 per cent in 10/11 to 29.8 per cent in 2015/16.

Across the UK the proportion of first class degrees being handed out has soared, with a third of institutions now grading at least one in four with a top honour.

With students now paying up to £9,250 a year in tuition fees, almost all universities and colleges are giving out a higher proportion of firsts than they were in 2010/11.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), believes the results are down to students are working harder than ever before.

He said: "As you wander round universities the libraries and working environments are full.

"They're not putting in more hours, but they are more productive in the hours they are doing."

A spokeswoman for Universities UK added: "Every one of our universities is unique, with a different subject mix, student body, faculties and departments and, of course, different course curricula and content, which makes comparison difficult, but this diversity is valued by students and staff and this is a strength of the UK sector.

"The sector has changed significantly since 2010, with universities putting more emphasis on the quality of teaching and investing in learning support.”

The figures, for the academic years 2010/11 and 2015/16, are based on 148 universities and colleges for which there was comparable data, and exclude degrees rated as 'unclassified'.