Graduate Outcomes
Tracking graduate outcomes is crucial to improving the quality of education for students, and outcomes for graduates. In assessing relevance of studies, gender pay gaps and employment outcomes (amongst many other factors), policymakers can bring the voice of graduates to the forefront of evidence-based decisions.
Currently, there are two main approaches to tracking graduate outcomes, detailed below.
1. Graduate Outcomes Survey (HEA)
The Graduate Outcomes Survey is a national survey distributed to all graduates of HEA higher education institutions (HEIs), 9 months after graduation. From the most recent publication (Class of 2022), 77.2% of honours degree graduates were working or due to start work 9 months after graduation. The outputs of this nationwide study highlight the current opportunities and challenges for new graduates. Moreover, in-depth analyses are provided for international graduates and postgraduates, demonstrating the scope and representativeness of this study and more importantly, the far-reaching implications of this study.
Factors explored in the report include employment outcomes, source of employment, location of employment, graduate salaries, relevance of studies to employment, enrolment in further studies, and much more. These factors are further broken down by factors such as gender, field of study, institute type and level of study.
The introduction of a new survey followed extensive collaboration between the HEA, HEIs and all relevant stakeholders. A review of international practice was also carried out.
2. Higher Education Outcomes (CSO)
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) utilizes administrative datasets to form a longitudinal view of graduates’ outcomes. This involves collating data from various relevant public bodies, such as salary data from Revenue, benefits data from the Department of Social Protection, and graduate data from the HEA. Therefore, this approach enables the tracking of graduates longitudinally up to 10 years after graduation.
For the most recent report, see here.
3. Graduate Outcomes Survey Review
The HEA has 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).
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