Students may face debts of up to £44,000 when they leave university, so it is important to decide whether this looks to be a good investment. New statistics published by salary benchmarking service Emolument Alumni shows how the average salaries of graduates from different universities vary significantly.

Unsurprisingly, Oxford and Cambridge University appear high in the Alumni Rich List, with an average salary in the five years on leaving of £54k and £52k respectively, but graduates from leading business schools take up most of the top positions, with London Business School averaging as much as £16,000 per year more than Oxbridge Universities.

Top entry grades clearly do not always equate to highest post-university earnings. Graduates from the University of Sheffield, which ranks as low as 26^th in the university league tables, appear 7^th on the Alumni Rich List earning an average of over £49,000. In contrast, Durham University is ranked 5^th in the UK by the Complete University Guide, but its graduates appear in 12^th place in the Rich List, averaging salaries of £45,000.

The top 20 universities, and the average salaries of graduates within five years of leaving, are as follows:

1. London Business School: £69,000
2. Oxford University: £54,000
3. Warwick Business School: £53,000
4. Cambridge University: £52,500
5. Cass Business School: £50,500
6. LSE London School of Economics: £50,000
7. University of Sheffield: £49,000
8. Edinburgh University: £48,500
9. Imperial College London: £47,000
10. University of Birmingham: £46,500
11. University of London: £45,500
12. Durham University: £45,000
13. University of Bath: £43,500
14. Aston University: £43,000
15. Warwick University: £42,500
16. Bristol University: £41,000
17. UCL University College London: £40,500
18. Loughborough University: £40,500
19. University of Leeds: £40,500
20. University of Nottingham: £40,000