88% of 2022/23 graduates in work or further study according to new HESA official statistics

Accredited official statistics released by HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency – part of Jisc) show that 59% of graduates from 2022/23 reported that they were in full-time employment when surveyed 15 months after leaving higher education. This figure is lower than the 61% recorded in the previous two years but higher than for 2018/19 and 2019/20 graduates surveyed during the COVID pandemic.

A further 24% of graduates were in other kinds of employment, including those both working and studying, while 6% were only in further study. 6% of graduates were unemployed and 6% were doing something else such as traveling, caring for someone or were retired.

76% of UK graduates who were working in the UK were in high skilled jobs. This figure was higher for graduates from science subjects (82%) than for other graduates (72%).

The overall median salary of UK graduates in full-time paid employment in the UK 15 months after graduation was £28,500, up from £27,500 last year. The median salary for graduates from science subjects was £29,498, while for non-science subjects it was £27,998. Medicine and dentistry graduates recorded the highest median salary (£37,924) while graduates from Media, journalism and communications subjects recorded the lowest (£24,925).

Female graduates were more likely to be in part-time employment, but less likely to be unemployed than male graduates. Among graduates in full-time employment, more males than females reported earning salaries over £33,000, while more female than male graduates reported salaries below this figure.

Reflecting on their activities after graduation, 83% of UK undergraduates agreed that their activity at the time of the survey was meaningful. 74% agreed that it fit with their future plans and 65% agreed that they were using what they had learned during their studies.

Graduate Outcomes is the largest annual social survey in the UK with 917,610 graduates eligible to take part in the 2022/23 survey. There were 358,045 graduates who provided usable responses giving a response rate of 39%. The survey asks graduates about their activities approximately 15 months after graduation.

Today’s accredited official statistics include high-level national figures and more detailed open data. These include breakdowns by HE provider, subject of study, personal characteristics of graduates, and type of employment or further study. Data about graduates’ personal characteristics and higher education experience comes from the HESA Student record. For 2022/23 graduates this data is based on a new student data model used for the first time in 2022/23.

To view a selection of statistics in infographic style, visit our survey results page.