Female graduates more likely to marry rich men

A new study has found female graduates are more likely to marry men who are wealthy and earn 30 per cent more than themselves, the Daily Mail reported.

However, money was only part of the benefit, according to the research conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Having a degree allowed them to socialise with people where they had the potential to meet men with a high paying job.

Chris Belfield, co-author of the study and a research economist at IFS, told the Daily Mail: "Universities play an important role in determining the future earnings of their graduates, but their impacts go far beyond this.

"Since female graduates are much more likely to marry men with a degree, going on to university not only raises their own future earnings it raises the amount they can expect future partners to earn.

"Accounting for this effect of higher education matters when considering the wider impact of attending university on living standards and social mobility."

Going to college increased a woman's chanced of finding a partner with a degree by 20 per cent.