Alma matters: Trinity claims highest degree of earnings

The highest-paid graduates in the State are University College Cork alumni working in consulting, who are earning an average of €116,052 annually, according to salary benchmarking company Emolument.com.

The company crowdsources market data by allowing users to enter their own pay details and benchmark their salaries against other workers from similar educational and professional backgrounds.

It found Trinity College alumni working in financial services follow closely behind, with average salaries of €112,536 annually.

Emolument data shows that, overall, Trinity College graduates earn €60,000 annually on average.

The highest paid TCD graduates are the ones working in financial services, while lowest paid are the ones working in engineering where average salaries in the Emolument report are €30,000.

University College Cork alumni earn, on average, €56,950 annually. The data shows the highest paid UCC graduates are those working in consulting while the lowest paid are people working in IT and software development, with average salaries of €43,840.

The lowest paid National University of Ireland Galway alumni are also working in IT & software development, reporting average annual earnings of €39,500.

University of Limerick alumni earn €55,000 annually on average, which is higher than the average earnings of graduates from UCD, NUIG, DCU and NUI Maynooth.

The highest paid University of Limerick alumni are people working in sales and business development, who are bringing in €74,555 annually.

The highest paid UCD, DCU and NUIG graduates all work in financial services, earning an average of €72,444, €63,000 and €44,000 respectively.

The data shows the average salary for analysts and associates working in finance is €86,000 across the UK and Ireland.

Average salary

However, Trinity graduates in the industry can expect to earn more, with an average salary of €97,000. Graduates from the University of Cambridge working in finance topped the list, with earnings totalling €126,000 annually.

Graduates from University College Dublin were found to be the most extensive globetrotters. The university topped Emolument’s UK and Ireland Globetrotter table, with the company noting the university is “particularly apt at leading to international careers”.

“Universities such as UCD have fostered their image on the international stage for years, perhaps more aggressively so than the more traditional, academic outperformers,” Emolument chief operating officer Alice Leguay said.

It found an average of 32 per cent of UCD graduates are working abroad, compared to 18 per cent of Trinity College graduates.