Frequently asked questions for HE institutions

What is the DLHE Longitudinal Survey?

The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey is a survey of qualifiers from Higher Education (HE) and is conducted in two stages. The first stage, or early survey, aims to find out what leavers are doing six months after they qualified from their HE course. The second stage, or longitudinal survey, is a follow-up survey that aims to find out what qualifiers are doing a further three years on.

The first stage of the survey is undertaken by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), using standard documentation provided by HESA, and with a target population comprising those who left HEIs with certain qualifications during a specific period. The data from this survey is collected by institutions and returned to HESA for use in producing statistics, as well as allowing Statutory Customers to fulfil their statutory obligations. Institutional performance indicators are also produced using data from this first stage of the DLHE survey.

The second stage of the survey is undertaken by a contractor on behalf of HESA, and is a survey of a sample of those qualifiers who took part in the first stage of the survey. Again all institutions are involved in this second stage, although not in the submission of data to HESA. The results of this follow-up survey are not published at institution level. When the survey is complete each institution will receive the data from its own qualifiers’ responses for statistical use.

The two stage approach to the DLHE survey was developed so that a more accurate picture of graduate destinations can be traced over time.

A pilot survey of the second stage was carried out in winter 2005/06 by Ipsos MORI. The first full longitudinal survey took place during 2006/07 and surveyed a sample of those who completed their studies during 2002/03.

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Who will be carrying out the 2004/05 DLHE Longitudinal Survey?

An organisation called IFF Research carried out the first full survey of those who graduated in 2002/03 and will be doing so again for those who graduated in 2004/05. IFF Research has been contracted by HESA to undertake the management and administration of the survey. You will first hear directly from this organisation in September.

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Why are institutions not carrying out this follow-up survey themselves, as they do for the first stage?

The survey is being carried out centrally by a contractor to ensure comparable data and to minimise the burden on institutions.

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How are HE institutions involved in this longitudinal follow-up survey?

The sample of qualifiers to be surveyed will be determined centrally by HESA and IFF Research will contact HE institutions requesting the contact details of graduates. Institutions should ensure that accurate and up-to-date contact details are provided and that appropriate data protection arrangements are in place for this passing on of contact details to happen. When the survey is complete each institution will receive the data from its own qualifiers’ responses for statistical use. Those qualifiers who responded to the second stage of the survey will have been asked whether or not they are content for institutions to contact them in connection with the information they have given.

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What are the ‘appropriate data protection arrangements’?

HESA put into place arrangements in 2002/03 for qualifiers to be surveyed a second time as part of the DLHE survey. Therefore those who were surveyed in 2002/03 were the first cohort to be available to be surveyed a second time. The arrangements put in place ensured qualifiers were aware that they may be contacted again as part of a follow-up survey, that this might mean their contact details would be passed to a third party (the contractor) and that they have the option to opt-out of possible inclusion in the sample to be surveyed again. This information is imparted to qualifiers at the first stage of the DLHE survey, by way of the covering letters and emails which accompany the questionnaire. Institutions should use these letters and emails when contacting qualifiers at the first stage, and record this information reliably; thus they will have made appropriate arrangements.

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What data protection issues might arise?

Data protection issues include the accuracy of contact details and the fairness of using them for the purpose of the survey. Problems might arise when institutions have told qualifiers something that is different from the way the survey is to operate. Institutions should investigate what fair processing statements have been given to their qualifiers. If, in the institution’s view, qualifiers have been given statements that are inconsistent with the passing on contact details to a third party organisation conducting the longitudinal survey, then the institution should take steps to rectify this. Examples of inconsistencies are: when qualifiers have been told that their details will not be passed to any third party, or only to a third party agent of the institution, or when the institution feels passing on of contact details for this purpose will be out of the expectations of the leaver.

If an institution is concerned that it has issued inconsistent information to its qualifiers then this should be rectified by issuing an updated fair processing notice to qualifiers. This can be done when the list of those to be included in the sample is received. Some example text to send to these qualifiers is:

You may remember completing a survey six months after you qualified, which asked what you were doing after you completed your higher education course. A follow-up of that survey is taking place to see what qualifiers are doing a further three years later and you are invited to take part in this survey. If you would like to take part then we will pass your contact details to the organisation HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) has contracted to undertake this survey. This organisation will use your details only for the purpose of the survey, and will then destroy them. If you do not want to take part in this follow-up survey, please let us know. More information can be found on the HESA website.

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Exactly what data are institutions required to pass on?

Institutions will be required to send contact details for graduates to IFF Research. It is part of the criteria for inclusion in the sample that the qualifier must have responded to the first stage of the survey (this will have been accounted for when the sample is drawn). However, institutions should only pass on the contact details to the contractor for those qualifiers who did not at the first stage, and did not at any time between then and the occasion the details were requested, object to being contacted again as part of the follow-up survey. Institutions should record this information reliably, so that it can be referred to when the sample selection is drawn, in order that these qualifiers can be excluded from the follow-up survey.

The contractor will pass on a list of students’ names and identifiers to the institution in order for the students to be identified. The contact details required are postal address, telephone number(s) and email address.

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Will the contact details be used for anything other than the DLHE Longitudinal Survey?

No. The contact details will not be used for any purpose other than for the follow-up survey, and they will be deleted after this purpose has been fulfilled. Neither HESA nor its Statutory Customers will see these contact details. If during the survey, the contractor obtains more recent contact information, these updates are sent to the relevant institution for them to use for their own purposes e.g. alumni mailing.

You can view the Data protection agreements between HESA and IFF Research.

For further data protection information please visit the Data protection home page.

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