Graduate Outcomes is a national survey which gathers information about the activities and perspectives of graduates 15 months after they’ve finished their studies.
As a University of Southampton graduate, your response to this survey is very important as it will:
Provide our current and prospective students with insight into their potential career destinations
Contribute to the University’s positioning in league tables
Enable Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise to provide tailored careers advice which you can continue to access as a Southampton alumnus
Empower higher education providers, policy makers, charities, journalists, researchers and others, to understand the higher education sector and current trends within the graduate jobs market
The Graduate Outcomes survey is a statutory process for all higher education providers and is owned by HESA , the Higher Education Statistics Agency. HESA supports the advancement of the higher education sector by collecting and publishing timely and reliable data about the sector.
The administration of the Graduate Outcomes survey is undertaken by a third-party survey contractor who works in collaboration with HESA and the University.
Find out more about Graduate Outcomes on their website.
How to complete the survey
You will receive an email approximately 15 months after completing your studies, inviting you to complete the survey online. You may also be contacted by telephone and asked to complete the survey over the phone. If you are not contactable, they may seek the information from a third party, such as a family member.
It’s important to ensure your details are up-to-date so HESA can get in touch with you:
Current students can update their details on Banner
Graduate Outcomes data constitutes Personal Data and is processed in accordance with all applicable data protection legislation. The University of Southampton process Graduate Outcomes data in compliance with the Graduate Outcomes Collection Notice and HESA’s agreements with University of Southampton. Appropriate processes and safeguards are in place at University of Southampton to ensure that this data is processed compliantly and in accordance with the above. Privacy information regarding the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found on the Graduate Outcomes website.
Contact
If you have any questions about the Graduate Outcomes survey you can contact HESA using the following details:
1. Graduate Outcomes Open Data Repository by HESA (part of Jisc).
HESA collects, assures and disseminates data about higher education in the UK on behalf of statutory customers.
2. Student Outcomes Data Dashboard by the Office for Students (OfS).
OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. They provide data on graduate outcomes, referred to as ‘progression’ (the percentage of graduates in professional-level employment or graduate-level further study). For an introduction to OfS data and additional insights, please the OfS website.
3. GOV.UK offers datasets on graduate employment and salary outcomes, providing insights into earnings 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after graduation.
4. Discover Uni is a resource designed for prospective students. Discover Uni provides undergraduate destination insights at course level. The site is operated by the OfS.
5. Guardian University Guide features a 'Career after 15 months' metric, which measures the percentage of UK-domiciled, full-time, first-degree graduates in professional-level employment or graduate-level further study. This metric is a two-year aggregate of the most recent available data from the Graduate Outcomes survey.
6. The Times UK University Rankings includes a ‘Graduate prospects’ metric, showing the percentage of UK-domiciled, full-time, first-degree graduates in professional-level employment or further study. This metric is based on the most recent year's data from the Graduate Outcomes survey.
7. Complete University Guide provides two key metrics:
‘Graduate prospects’: The percentage of UK-domiciled, full-time, first-degree graduates in professional-level employment or graduate-level further study.
‘Graduate prospects – on track’: The percentage of those same graduates who report that their current activity aligns with their future plans.
Due to timing of the publication, both are based on data from one year before the most recent year's data from the Graduate Outcomes survey.