International Graduates: Graduates are considered to be “International Graduates” if they are non-Irish domiciled graduates of programmes at Honours Degree level and above.

Overview of Graduate Population

• In 2018, there were 7,394 international graduates (up from 6,361 in 2017)
• The majority graduated from universities (80%)
• There were more male graduates (55%)
• Most graduates studied Business, Administration & Law, followed by Health & Welfare

 

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Main Graduate Destination

6.1 Main Graduate Destination – Programme Type

Nine months after graduation, 80.5% were in employment, while 10.7% were in further study.

Postgraduate Research graduates had the highest rates of employment (86.2%) nine months after graduation, while Honours Degree graduates had the lowest rate (63.6%). Nonetheless, Honours Degrees saw the highest proportion of graduates in further study (27.1%).

 

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Employment Outcomes

This section relates only to graduates who are considered “In Employment”, as defined below. Thus, all figures reflect only the cohort of graduates defined as “In Employment”.

In Employment: Graduates are considered to be employed 9 months after graduation if they are working full-time, working part-time or due to start a job in the next 3 months.

 

6.2 Employed Graduates – Salary

Two-thirds (66%) of international graduates in employment were working in Ireland. More than half (59%) had permanent or open-ended contracts, while 35% were on fixed-term contracts, and 6% were temporary employees.

The most common occupation was Professional Occupations (64%). The largest sector of employment was Professional, Scientific & Technical (19%).

Excluding refused responses, 16.7% earned between €30,000 – €34,999.

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Further Study Outcomes

In Further Study: Graduates are considered to be in further study 9 months after graduation if they are enrolled in either full-time or part-time further study or training.

 

Overall, only 11% of International Graduates pursued further study. Two-fifths (43%) pursued further study overseas, while 57% pursued further study in Ireland. One-fifth (23%) stated the reason for further study was to change or improve career options. Due to the low numbers, an in-depth analysis is not included.

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Unemployment & Other Activities

 

Unemployed: Unemployed graduates consist of graduates who are unemployed and looking for a job 9 months after graduation. 

 

Engaged in Other Activities: Other activities include caring for family members or others, travelling, volunteering, illness, retirement, unemployed yet not seeking employment, and other.

 

Overall, only 7.1% of international graduates were Unemployed, with another 1.7% Engaged in Other Activities. Due to the low numbers, an in-depth analysis is not included.

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Graduate Reflections

This section relates to ALL International Graduates surveyed.

Most international graduates were satisfied with their course, with 63.6% being Very Likely or Likely to study the same course again.