- Oxford has 401 super-rich graduates but Cambridge has more billionaires
- Three London universities complete top five on new graduate rich list
- Manchester, Nottingham and Birmingham also make it into top 10
- More than 90% of ultra-wealthy university graduates are men
By Hugo Gye
PUBLISHED: 04:48 EST, 25 April 2013 | UPDATED: 04:48 EST, 25 April 2013
Oxbridge's continued domination of British society was confirmed yesterday as it was revealed that the two universities have produced more super-rich graduates than any other in the UK.
The universities rich list was topped by Oxford, which has 401 graduates worth more £20million or more.
But Cambridge dominates when it comes to billionaires, with 48 graduates who have amassed a 10-figure fortune since leaving the university.
Wealth: Cambridge has produced 361 multi-millionaire alumni worth an average of £169million each
Topping the list: Oxford has more super-wealthy graduates than any other British university
Cambridge, whose wealthy alumni include Cobra Beer entrepreneur Lord Bilimoria, actor Sacha Baron Cohen and former Barclays chairman Marcus Agius, was second in the overall list with 361 super-rich former students.
Those 361 have a combined wealth of £61billion, compared with £33billion for Oxford's 401 ultra-wealthy alumni, according to the study by wealth analyst Wealth-X.
The average super-rich Oxford graduate, a group including the likes of financier Nat Rothschild, Lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox and comedian Michael Palin, is worth £83million, compared to £169million for Cambridge's multi-millionaires.
London universities occupied the rest of the list's top five, with London School of Economics, Imperial College London and London Business in third, fourth and fifth place.
THE GRADUATES RICH LIST IN FULL
1) Oxford - 401 super-rich graduates worth an average £83m each
2) Cambridge - 361, £169m
3) LSE - 273, £84m
4) Imperial - 127, £67m
5) London Business School - 106, £99m
6) Manchester - 102, £22m
7) UCL - 99, £29m
8) Nottingham - 92, £22m
9) Edinburgh - 80, £52m
10) Birmingham - 68, £69m
The only other institution to boast more than 100 mega-rich alumni is the University of Manchester.
The overwhelming majority of 'ultra-high-net-worth individuals' from British universities are male, with just one in 11 of them being women.
For Oxford graduates, the situation is even more one-sided - 94 per cent of its super-wealthy alumni are men.
Despite the reputation of Oxford and Cambridge as bastions of the aristocratic elite, relatively few of their multi-millionaires inherited their wealth.
More than two thirds of Oxbridge alumni worth more than £20million made their fortunes through their own efforts with no help from their families.
At the University of Edinburgh, by contrast, fewer than half made their millions thanks to an entrepreneurial spirit.
While higher education in the UK clearly deserves some of the credit for the success of its alumni, the average super-rich graduate is well out of university at the age of 57.
Mike Byrne of Wealth-X said the findings showed that future business leaders were still attracted to British universities.
'17 out of the 24 Russell Group universities are featured in the report, which reflects the ability of such prestigious institutions to attract high calibre individuals, who proceed to create financial success,' he said.
Despite the strong showing of many British institutions, the U.S. dominates the global rich list, with 17 of the top 20 universities being American.
Harvard, in top spot, has almost 3,000 graduates worth more than £20million, nearly twice as many as second-placed Penn.
Oxford stands at number 16 in the international list, with Cambridge at number 19.
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