Universities had been threatened with fines if they did not stop the increase in students graduating with firsts and 2:1s ALAMYThe proportion of first class degrees awarded by universities continued to creep up but the fast increase of recent years has stalled, new figures show today. Universities awarded the top degree classification to 28.4 per cent of all graduating students in 2019, up from 27.8 per cent the year before. This was up from 16 per cent in 2011. The student watchdog had threatened to fine universities that did not get their rampant grade inflation under control and Damian Hinds, the last education secretary, had urged universities to “reset the norm”. Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students (OfS), said this morning: “This data shows us that the rapid increase in the rates of students being awarded first class degrees has stalled.

Source: The Times January 16, 2020 12:00 UTC