Graduate Outcomes Survey Review
This page provides details of the Graduate Outcomes Survey review which took place in 2024. During 2025, the HEA and colleagues across higher education will be working to put a new Graduate Outcomes Survey in place for 2026.
This page sets out the updates to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2026 as they become available throughout 2025.
Higher education institutions are invited to revisit this page for updates as they occur, and the HEA Graduate Outcomes Survey team will also be in contact in relation to any new develoments on the survey ahead of the new survey being in place in 2026.
Graduate Outcomes Survey Review 2024
The HEA reviewed the Graduate Outcomes Survey in 2024. The review was based on the principles that graduate data should continue to:
- Reflect the higher education landscape, now and into the future. The higher education system continues to evolve and graduate tracking should be future proofed to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
- Be of the highest quality. Ireland should continue to lead internationally by expanding on a reliable and accurate evidence base for policy makers, HEIs, prospective students and other stakeholders.
- Be obtained as efficiently as possible. The methodology and operation of graduate surveying should be fit-for-purpose and efficient, enabling high value, well structure, timely and robust data to be collected.
- Be accessible and joined up. Those interested in graduate data should be enabled to obtain information that is freely available and easy to understand, taking account of the range of data sources within the higher education system.
- Support policy frameworks. Graduate survey data should support the higher education System Performance Framework and other national policy frameworks.
There were quantitative and qualitative elements of the Graduate Outcomes Survey review which can be found below:
1. Two data validity assessments – HEA (here) and CSO (here).
2. Consultative review and recommendations carried out by Crowe Consulting (here).Review Findings
The independent (Crowe) review found overall that:
“The HEA is delivering a robust and efficient survey of third-level graduate outcomes. The survey generates high-quality data, while also delivering a strong response rate, ensuring flexibility in the methodology for institutions to collect meaningful response rates.”The review reports can be accessed as follows:
1. Two data validity assessments – HEA (here) and CSO (here).
2. Consultative review and recommendations carried out by Crowe Consulting (here).The Crowe review contains recommendations on questionnaire design, guidance, accessibility, promotion and communications. The Crowe review also recommended that the HEA establish a Stakeholder Reference Group to devise an updated survey, and that group is now in place. The Stakeholder Reference Group includes membership from HEIs, along with employer, student, disability and guidance counsellor groups, and state agencies.
Updated Questionnaire for 2026
The Stakeholder Reference Group has redesigned the Graduate Outcomes Survey questionnaire for implementation in 2026, and the following resources are now available to higher education institutions:
There are also two new video explainers:
- A video giving details of the review, and some information on the updated questionnaire for 2026
- A detailed description of the changes to the questionnaire for 2026