Percentage of UK and international students achieving second-class degrees in 2009

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of UK and international students who attained second-class degrees or better across eight different subjects at a major UK university in 2009.

Overall, international students outperformed their UK counterparts in technical subjects, while UK students generally achieved higher results in humanities and law. Notably, Nursing saw identical success rates for both groups, whereas International law showed the most significant disparity.

In technical disciplines, international students demonstrated superior performance. In Information technology, 84% of international students achieved a second-class degree or better, compared to only 58% of UK students. Similarly, in Electrical Engineering, international students reached 80%, significantly higher than the 61% recorded for UK students. Conversely, in Nursing, both groups achieved an identical rate of 77%.

Regarding other subjects, UK students were more successful in Art history and Sociology, with 80% of them achieving the required grades in both, compared to 70% and 67% for international students, respectively. In English literature, 75% of UK students succeeded, against 68% of international students. Accountancy showed parity at 60% for both groups. Finally, International law had the lowest success rate for international students at 48%, while 70% of UK students achieved this standard.