Office for Students degree classification data

On Thursday 15 January, 2026, the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education in England, published a report analysing graduate attainment rates between 2010/11 and 2023/24.

- Read the Office for Students report.

Some media outlets have chosen to report one element of this data, which compares the proportion of First Class degrees awarded by a university in 2023/24 to that of 2010/11.

We have issued the following statements on this matter:

To the Financial Times, Friday 16 January:

“The Financial Times has chosen to focus on one particular measure of grade inflation, which compares the proportion of First Class degrees awarded by a university in 2023/24 to that of 2010/11. Around 2010/11, Durham received feedback from external examiners that we could be awarding more First Class degrees, to properly recognise the quality of our students’ work.  
“We have exceptional students at Durham, we work hard to enable them to achieve their best, and our graduates are some of the most sought-after anywhere in the world. Our degrees are assessed and moderated stringently, including by external agencies.” 

In addition, on Wednesday 28 January, the Financial Times published a letter from Professor Tony Fawcett, our Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education).

To The Sunday Times, Friday 30 January:

“Durham University admits highly talented students with exceptionally strong qualifications. We teach and support them well, as demonstrated by our very high scores for teaching quality in the annual National Student Survey.  
“We do not compromise on academic standards. Our students merit their degree results.  
“We award more First Class degrees now than in 2010 because external examiners told us we could be more properly recognising the high quality of our students’ work. The OfS has raised no concerns with us.” 
Note: Durham ranks seventh in the Russell Group for UCAS points, according to The Sunday Times league table. 

For enquiries, contact Lucian Hudson, Executive Director, Communications and External Relations: communications.team@durham.ac.uk.