27/08/2026
๐ฑฬฒ ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ชฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฌฬฒ ๐ฌฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐จฬฒ ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐งฬฒ๐ขฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐จฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ชฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ ๐ญฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐งฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ
From research, a 1st Class Degree is the dream of every student, until most of them face reality and realise itโs not going to be easy to get โ and so, they give up on the dream, or better still, fall off the road to achieving the grade.
Letโs be sincere, 1st Class isnโt something that comes easily. It requires determination, a lot of hard work that might, in the long run, be unique to each individual, and above all, the grit to keep going even when nothing makes sense in school.
Because there are a lot of benefits to having a 1st Class Degree, itโs safe to assume that itโs very difficult to get. The benefits that come with a 1st Class Degree vary by institution, and most schools keep raising the bar.
Take the Renowned University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for example. The university allegedly made headlines back in 2021 after awarding three 1st Class Degree graduates N1,500 to share among themselves. The three of them graduated with an outstanding CGPA of 4.63 and were awarded N1,500 to share among themselves. This means that each of them got N500.
While this was in 2021, the same university also made headlines sometime in 2024 after awarding their best graduating student, Ejiofor Victor, who graduated with an outstanding CGPA of 4.93, the sum of N500,000. He also received public honours from the Orji Uzor Kalu Foundation.
All over the internet, stories like these are captured from different parts of the country, and while some of the recognitions may be to your disappointment, there are lots of other reasons why graduating with a 1st Class Degree as a Nigerian student should be one of your top priorities.
Before we go into it, know that this article is backed by credible research conducted as of the 26th of August 2026. You can read extensively about both examples shared about UNN through our WhatsApp channel; link in the comments Section.
๐ญฬฒ.ฬฒ ๐ฬฒอฬฒ อฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐ฅฬฒอฬฒ๐ฆฬฒอฬฒ๐งฬฒอฬฒ อฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐ฆฬฒอฬฒ๐ฆฬฒอฬฒ อฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐ฬฒอฬฒ๐อ๐ฅอ๐อ๐อ อ๐อ๐อ๐กอ อ๐อ๐กอ๐อ๐ฅอ๐อ๐อ๐ฆอ๐อ อ๐ฌอ๐ขอ๐จอ๐ฅอ อ๐อ๐อ๐ฅอ๐กอ๐อ๐กอ๐อ อ๐ฃอ๐ขอ๐งอ๐อ๐กอ๐งอ๐อ๐อ๐ฬฒ
Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), using government education and tax data, found that graduates with First Class degrees earn more than those with lower degree classifications.
๐ชฬฒ๐ตฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐บฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ ๐กฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ดฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ:ฬฒ In competitive sectors such as consulting, banking, technology, and oil & gas, academic distinction can influence salary negotiations and graduate trainee opportunities.
๐อ๐อ๐ปอ อ๐งอ๐ฎอ๐ธอ๐ฒอ๐ฎอ๐อ๐ฎอ๐อ๐ฬฒ
> Men with First Class degrees earned about 14% more than men with 2:1 degrees five years after graduation.
> Women with First Class degrees earned about 8% more than women with 2:1 degrees.
๐ฎฬฒ.ฬฒ ๐ฌฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐จฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฌฬฒ ๐งฬฒ๐ขฬฒ ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐จฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ ฬฒ๐ฃฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฌฬฒ๐ ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐งฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ
Graduate outcomes research shows a positive relationship between degree classification and employment outcomes.
๐ฬฒ๐ฐฬฒ๐ฐฬฒ๐ผฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฑฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ๐ดฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ผฬฒ ๐ฎฬฒ๐ปฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐นฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฏฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฑฬฒ ๐ผฬฒ๐ปฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฑฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ ๐ขฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฐฬฒ๐ผฬฒ๐บฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฑฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ:ฬฒ
> 1st-class graduates had the highest rate of full-time employment.
> They also experienced lower unemployment rates than graduates with lower classifications.
๐ชฬฒ๐ตฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐บฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ ๐กฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ดฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ:ฬฒ The job market is highly competitive. When employers receive hundreds of applications, a 1st Class degree often helps candidates stand out during shortlisting.
๐ฏฬฒ.ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐งฬฒ ๐ ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฃฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฃฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐จฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ
For me, this is the major reason why you should aim for a 1st Class Degree. Many postgraduate programmes and scholarship schemes prioritise academic excellence. The UK National Careers Service notes that some postgraduate programmes specifically require a First Class honours degree, while many competitive opportunities expect applicants to have exceptional academic records.
๐ชฬฒ๐ตฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐บฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ ๐กฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ดฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ:ฬฒ
> Chevening
> Commonwealth Scholarships
> Erasmus Mundus
> Fully funded Master's and PhD opportunities
A First Class degree often strengthens an application and may help applicants stand out in highly competitive selection processes.
๐ฐฬฒ.ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ ฬฒ๐ฃฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฌฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐งฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฉฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ขฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฃฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฌฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฃฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ
ฬฒResearch published in the ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ found that degree classification serves as a signal of ability to employers. The study observed that graduates with higher classifications generally enjoy better employment opportunities because employers use academic performance as an indicator when evaluating candidates.
๐ชฬฒ๐ตฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐บฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ ๐กฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ดฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ:ฬฒ Employers may know little about a candidate beyond their CV, but a First Class degree signals:
> Strong work ethic
> Consistency
> Ability to learn quickly
> Capacity to perform under pressure
These are qualities recruiters value across industries, especially in Nigeria.
๐ฑฬฒ.ฬฒ ๐ฌฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐จฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฌฬฒ ๐งฬฒ๐ขฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐งฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ ๐ฃฬฒ๐ฅฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐กฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ-ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฅฬฒ๐ขฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฆฬฒ
Graduate Outcomes data shows that First Class graduates are significantly more likely to enter professional-level careers.
๐ฬฒ๐ฐฬฒ๐ฐฬฒ๐ผฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฑฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ๐ดฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ผฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ตฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฐฬฒ๐ตฬฒ:ฬฒ
> 80.1% of First Class graduates were in professional-level roles.
> This compares with 69.0% of 2:1 graduates and 60.6% of 2:2 graduates.
๐ชฬฒ๐ตฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐บฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ ๐กฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ดฬฒ๐ฒฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ถฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ:ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ณฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ผฬฒ๐ฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ ๐ดฬฒ๐ผฬฒ๐ฎฬฒ๐นฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ผฬฒ ๐ฬฒ๐ผฬฒ๐ฟฬฒ๐ธฬฒ ๐ถฬฒ๐ปฬฒ:ฬฒ
> Consulting
> Engineering
> Finance
> Software Development
> Academia
> International Organizations
A 1st-class degree can improve your chances of entering those careers earlier.
Now, I know what most of you might be thinking at the moment. What about other graduates, and whatโs that thing about โNa who truly sabi book de graduate with 2:1โ? Some of you might even ask about โWhat about, โwho get carry over today, fit build flyover tomorrow?โ
Yes, youโre not wrong to ask all these questions. And in fact, we have another article coming up on why students truly graduate with a 2:1 and even a 2:2. This article will cover the types of students that do graduate with these types of Classes of Degrees and explore why they do at the end of it.
Before then, donโt forget to share this with someone you know might find it interesting. React, comment, and let us know what your current CGPA is in the comments section.
Donโt forget, you can check the sources of our research in our WhatsApp Channel; the link in the comments section.
.
๐ฆ
