Graduate Outcomes is built for the change-makers.
HESA works with UK universities and colleges to enable all graduates to make their voices heard, using our Graduate Outcome survey to share perspectives. Through data collection and analysis expertise, we reveal the bigger picture of the career paths and opportunities taken by recent graduates, to drive innovation in higher education.
Data from graduates today, empowering the students of tomorrow.
All graduates who completed a higher education course in the UK after August 2017 will be asked to take part in the survey 15 months after they finish their studies.
The survey looks to understand whether you’re in employment, have continued with further study or are doing something else and to what extent your qualification played a part. The term ‘outcomes’ in our survey’s name is key – we want to gain insight into whether the student experience delivered what was promised to you, from a learning and potential employment perspective. We don’t expect every path or destination to be totally straightforward.
It’s not just your university or college that’s listening to you, the survey has large-scale national significance too. It helps the Government, charities, journalists, researchers and others to understand the higher education sector and the state of the graduate labour market.
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Tell us about life after higher education
Graduate Outcomes is unique because it picks up with you over a year (15 months) after you’ve finished your studies. We believe this provides the time for you to reflect on the value your studies have played in your current activities, how this compares to your original plans and how you’re using skills you’ve picked up whilst in education.
Only you will know if you left education with the skills and knowledge you needed to get you to where you are now. We’re also really keen to understand the non-traditional routes that graduates are taking following education. Employment isn’t the only successful outcome: we want to know what you do, and really understand what you see as fulfilling.
History in a nutshell
The survey is delivered by HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency). HESA has delivered a survey of graduates since 1994/95 under the name of Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE). DLHE captured the ‘destinations’ (what graduates did after education) of millions of graduates over the years. In 2016, HESA carried out a full review and as a result, created the Graduate Outcomes survey.
This new survey allows a longer period between your studies and the survey and it provides richer insight from more meaningful but subjective questions. It asks you to not only state facts about where you’re at and what you’re doing, but also asks you to reflect on how education has contributed to where you are today.
