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University league tables

League tables help future students make decisions about where and what to study using various factors which could be important to them.

Graduate Outcomes survey responses are a vital part of these league table calculations as we provide a rich source of data about graduate prospects.

League tables, like the Complete University Guide, Guardian University Guide and Good University Guide, can provide a good overall picture of a university’s performance and quality. By looking at factors like entry standards, student satisfaction and graduate prospects, future students gain a clear understanding of how different universities compare. This helps them make an informed decision about where to study.

League tables rank more than 100 UK universities every year using publicly available data.

Where does the league tables data come from?

League table compilers take many factors into account when calculating university rankings and depend on reliable external sources of data. These sources include (but not limited to) the National Student Survey (NSS), the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and HESA, including data from the Graduate Outcomes survey.

What Graduate Outcomes data is used?

Graduate Outcomes is the most complete data available on the labour market for graduates from higher education providers. Because of this, it is a vital data source to assess the extent to which students have taken a positive first step in the 15 months after graduation. 

League tables use different measurements but they may include:

  • what graduates are currently doing (working and/or further study) 
  • whether graduates enter graduate-level occupation (using SOC coding)
  • whether graduates go on to further study at a professional or higher education level
  • their perceptions of work following completion of their course, including reflections on how they are progressing towards their future goals.

Did you use a league table to help you choose where and what to study?

If you did, then Graduate Outcomes data would have helped you get where you are today. Take the survey when the time is right and help prospective students make decisions about their future.

Visit the Complete University Guide, Guardian University Guide, Good University Guide (paywall) from The Times and Sunday Times for more information on how the league tables are created.