From my experience that's also the very very best graduates. I don't know of anyone who's gone in at that figure.
I was earning just less than £35k two years after graduating with a 2.1 ( not sure what the equivalent is in American university terms ). And at that point was earning considerably more than anyone else I knew who graduated at the same time.
Banking/finance does seem to be the industry which breaks the standard, especially in London.
I think I've mentioned here before, but I know a friend of a friend who supposedly earns £50k a year as a Java developer for a bank, but didn't know what a constructor was.
I was earning north of 60k after ~three years experience with no degree (and mediocre grades in the courses I'd taken). London, non-bank-finance. I had literally nothing spectacular on my CV. Feel free to get in touch if you need pointers.
