Male graduates who studied at 23 low performing institutions earn less, on average, than peers who chose not to attend university, a major new report has found.

The research revealed that, while the figure was lower for women, there were still nine universities where female graduates went on to be worse off than their school leaver counterparts, 10 years after graduating.

The figures will further concerns that universities are not doing enough to equip students with the skills required for top roles, with sixth-formers pushed into higher education degrees that they will struggle to repay loans for on graduation.

The report suggested that creative arts graduates had the lowest salaries - earning, on average, no more than non-graduates, 10 years on.

However, researchers urged caution, suggesting that given regional differences in average wages, "locally focused institutions may struggle to produce graduates whose wages outpace England-wide earnings".

The study also revealed that graduates from wealthy backgrounds earn thousands more than peers from poorer households despite studying the same degrees at the same universities.

The research, carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the Institute of Education, Harvard University and the University of Cambridge, looked at the link between a graduate's earnings and family background.

Researchers used tax data and student loan records for 260,000 students up to 10 years after graduating. The paper included graduates who started university in the period 1998–2011 and focused largely on earnings from the 2012/13 tax year.