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Top graduates with the highest grades are more likely to find work, a study has found.

A survey of people who graduated from UK universities in 2005/06 revealed that those with lower degrees were more likely to be unemployed

It found that graduates who had achieved the lowest degree classifications were two and a half times more likely to be unemployed six months after graduating than those who had gained firsts.

The study of 188,000 people was carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

It indicated an overall unemployment from the sample was 6.4 per cent.

That figure dropped to 5.7 per cent among those with upper seconds and to 4.4 per cent among those with first class degrees.

Critics suggest that the findings may not represent employers' attitudes to degree class, since students with lower class degrees may not be as motivated in their job search.

But the survey also found that the lowest rates of unemployment were among graduates with degrees that are not subject to classification - where just 3.5 per cent of graduates were unemployed.

These degrees included medicine, dentistry and veterinary science.

In addition there was found to be a big gap in unemployment between men and women: the rate of 5.1 per cent among women rose to 8.1 per cent among men.

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