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It would seem that the typical graduate of 2015 is much more confident on job prospects than last year’s university leavers, according to a new survey by High Fliers Research.

The survey canvassed the opinions and expectations of over 18,000 final year undergraduates from dozens of universities and found that this year’s uni leavers expect to have a starting salary of £700 more than the average 2014 graduate.

Furthermore, of the students interviewed by High Fliers Research, almost 2 in 5 had already received a graduate job offer by the beginning of April. Over a quarter of the students were expecting to walk straight into a graduate job after leaving university, the highest percentage since 2001 - and the percentage of students who are uncertain about their future is at its lowest level since 1998.

Much of the success in securing a graduate job seems to have been done early, with almost half of the graduates starting their job search before completing their first year at university.

Over 3 in 5 graduates had made an application for a graduate job by March, up from less than half of final year students a decade ago. On average, final year students of 2015 have sent off over seven graduate job applications, but have carried out more work experience, which seems to have paid off in the hunt to secure a job after finishing university.

Graduates this year expect to command an average starting salary of £23,700, up around 3 per cent on last year’s survey. The average salary after six years was anticipated to be over £40,000 and over 16 per cent of the students surveyed expected to be earning in excess of £100,000 by the time they reach 30.

They certainly need the extra cash, though, as on the downside, this year’s graduates will also bear the heaviest burden of debt ever reached by UK students, with the average university leaver this year owing £30,000 - up almost 50 per cent on just twelve months ago.

Commenting on the survey’s findings, managing director of High Fliers Research, Martin Birchall, said: “Our survey shows that new graduates leaving the UK’s top universities this summer – many of whom have been the first to be charged £9,000 a year tuition fees for their degree courses, are the most careers-orientated, motivated and ambitious of their generation. Although the Class of 2015 face the highest-ever graduation debts, an unprecedented number have already secured a graduate job offer before leaving university and the proportion who are uncertain about their future is at its lowest level for seventeen years.”

We’re confident that we can help you find a graduate job after you leave university. From Brighton to Bournemouth, from London to Londonderry and from Glasgow to Glamorgan, we’ve got vacancies for graduates in all parts of the UK. Find the perfect graduate vacancy in your town or city today using the e4s graduate job search.