DS just asked me if it matters which university you go to

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And I couldn't really formulate an answer.

I know Oxbridge and RG are more highly thought of, but from an employer's POV, how much difference does it make where you studied?

Is it different according to which subject you're doing or which sector you hope to work in?

You would expect 100% of nursing grads to get jobs but not arts grads, for example.

This is why ex-polytechnics had such good employment figures. They provided technical/vocational training for particular careers that was tailored to those (often local) industry needs. That has blurred a bit over the years but their overall employment figures still reflect their courses to a large extent.

It isn't RG but ranks high

RG is not a measure of ranking - it was simply a group of universities that came together in 1994 to push their members interests. There have always been high ranking universities that didn’t bother joining.

Interesting how one set of wealth indicators can be replaced by another - ‘colleagues from oxford and Bradford so there was a real range’ but then looking for work experience, activities, interests, achievements that you are much more likely to do if you have connections and money rather than working frantically to pay your rent.

@SmartWatch
Im not sure what you know about engineering but at the highest level, it takes years to be a Chartered Engineer. As long as a doctor! The quickest way is via a MEng degree. Then do all your professional training culminating in being chartered in your chosen discipline. I’m married to a CEng. People use the word Engineer very loosely so you must understand the different levels of qualifications and status.

Those who will not manage (or don’t want) Chartered status can become Incorporated Engineers. Usually BEng leads to this. The degree apprenticeship route is newish for Engineers. The apprentices probably don’t get a choice of university and may not get into a MEng course either. So it’s often the slow route to higher earnings. Chartered Engineers generally earn more and have more responsibility for signing off designs.

It’s obviously individual choice about staying in a profession but there’s big shortages of engineers. University attended won’t make a huge difference to talented engineers but the course must be accredited. In other words satisfy the academic requirement to be graduate members of the various institutions.