Press Release 140

Career progression of 2004/05 graduates

The HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Institutions Longitudinal Survey Report is published today. The survey, undertaken by IFF Research, was based on a sample of leavers who gained HE qualifications in 2004/05. Responses were obtained from 41,395 leavers. The survey asked what they were doing three and a half years later on 24 November 2008.

The full report is available to download in PDF format from the HESA publications website:
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dlhe_longitudinal/0405/Long_DLHE_0405_WEB.pdf.

88.9% of 2004/05 graduates were in employment three and a half years later

The survey showed that 76.1% of respondents were in full-time paid employment, up from 60.8% when first surveyed six months after graduation. 2.6% of 2004/05 graduates were assumed to be unemployed three and a half years after graduation, compared to 5.6% after six months. 88.9% of respondents were in some kind of employment (including part-time employment and those combining work and further study).

Median salaries greater after three years

The median salary of UK domicile full-time first degree leavers from 2004/05 who were in full-time paid employment in the UK on 24 November 2008 was £24,000 pa., compared to £17,000 pa. after six months.

86.9% of respondents satisfied with their careers to date

The survey also asked leavers about their satisfaction with their careers to date. Most leavers (86.9%) were satisfied with their career to date with 47.6% saying they were fairly satisfied and 39.3% saying they were very satisfied.

The full report on the second Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Institutions Longitudinal Survey contains a full analysis of the employment and study circumstances of 2004/05 graduates including type and location of employment and salary levels. The report also covers the additional qualifications gained by 2004/05 graduates, the different activities they were engaged in since graduation, and their satisfaction with their careers and courses.

The report is available as a free download in PDF format from the HESA publication pages here: www.hesa.ac.uk/publications/dlhe_longitudinal. 
Detailed statistical tables of results are also available to purchase from the same website.

Notes for Editors

1.      Press enquiries should be directed to:

2.      The Survey was commissioned by the following higher education funding bodies:

3.      The Survey was carried out during winter 2008/09 by IFF Research on behalf of the funding bodies above.

4.      The Survey was completed by 41,395 leavers who had previously completed the Destinations of Leavers survey six months after graduating. The six month survey was completed by 319,260 leavers out of 430,290 eligible qualifiers from the 2004/05 cohort.

5.      HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) is the UK's central source for the collection and dissemination of statistics about Higher Education.

6.      HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.

ENDS