Emma from Brig interviews a 2025 unemployed graduate from Edinburgh Napier University to explore the debate about first class degrees.
Somewhere between submitting your final assignment and updating your LinkedIn bio to “graduate,” there’s a quiet realisation that no one prepares you for. What if your degree doesn’t actually matter?
For years we’ve been told university is the most conventional way to finding a well paying job. It didn’t really matter what you studied, just that you stuck it out for four years came out the other side with a certificate, (and at least one mental breakdown or identity crisis).
Obviously, if you want to become a lawyer, doctor, teacher etc., you will need the specific degree for that job sector. But a lot of graduate job listings don’t ask for specific subjects anymore. Instead, they just want “a degree.” Any degree.
Which raises the obvious question, If the subject doesn’t matter then why did we spend years specialising in one? Moreso, as more graduates enter an already oversaturated job market, the premise of going to university for a degree is becoming more unappealing. Are first class degrees pointless and why aren’t employers hiring?
What is a First Class Degree?
Your final classification is basically just your average grade from third and fourth year, with your dissertation carrying an unreasonable amount of weight, (so no pressure).
They quietly ignore your worst module to turn your overall mark into a classification. If you’re sitting just below a higher grade, there’s also a chance they might bump you up.
The classification thresholds is: First class: 70. Upper second class: 60. Lower second class: 50. Third class: 40. The University of Stirling explain the marking scheme to their grade distinctions on their website.
A First Class Filtering System
Some companies admit that they use the first class degree as a filtering system so that if too many people apply for the job, they can narrow down their options easier.
However, many companies now consider the background of the graduate to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to succeed despite their upbringing or ethnicity according to BBC news. This displaces the focus away from grade distinctions and encourages a less predictable hiring strategy.
Work Experience And Qualifications
Some companies value work experience over degree qualifications. Whilst Indeed.com, (a job seeking website), explain the importance of both qualifications and experience, young people are struggling to a achieve both. LinkedIn, (another job seeking website) also agree with this viewpoint and argue that balance is important.
However, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) surveyed UK employers to reveal the truth.
- Degree requirements are being removed from some roles that previously demanded them.
- Most employers rank “relevant work experience” above degree classification when hiring.
- Attitude, aptitude and cultural fit often matter more than specific qualifications.
- Many employers struggle to find graduates with practical workplace skills.
Graduates Can’t Find Jobs
I spoke to recent midwifery graduate from Edinburgh Napier University who is still struggling to secure a job in her field.
Twenty-one year old anonymous graduate says: “I graduated in June 2025 from Edinburgh Napier University. I was told the UK were in desperate need of midwives, so the fact that I’m still unemployed is slightly concerning. I’m currently just enrolled in the NHS midwifery bank and applying for random jobs until the NHS invite me for more interviews. It’s hard finding a job in a different sector because I’m told I’m over qualified because of my degree, yet not experienced enough in certain fields like hospitality or retail to beat the competition.”
A new 2026 survey from the Royal College of Midwives shows one in three graduates haven’t secured a job!
If degrees that are directly linked to professions aren’t guaranteeing employment, then what exactly is the system doing? And yet, dropping out or choosing not to go at all still carries a weird stigma. So people go. They commit. They get the degree. Then they’re stuck applying for the same jobs as everyone else.
Degrees Are Not Pointless, But Things Need to Change
Whether you love or hate the subject you chose to specialise in, degrees still teach valuable skills like critical thinking, time management, resilience. (How to write 2000 words the night before a deadline).
But things need to change. Job opportunities must become more accessible to graduates to incentivise students to complete their degrees. An alternative approach to helping young people would be placing a large focus on apprenticeships and internships. Young people do want to work, but the system is failing them.
Featured image credit: Emma Forbes Walker
Fourth Year English and Journalism Student
