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Graduate Outcomes Contact Details record 2020/21

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Introduction

Version 1.0 Produced 2021-07-15

Contents: Context | Graduate Outcomes | Data collected | Data collection

Context

HESA has been collecting data on the activities and views of higher education graduates since 1994/95. Between 1994/95 and 2001/02, this was collected via the First Destinations record. From 2002/03 until 2016/17 it was collected via the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) record which included an early survey (at six months after graduation) and a longitudinal survey (LDHLE) record (at 3.5 years after graduation).

HESA ran a major review on the data it collects on graduates (referred to as the NewDLHE review). This has led to the introduction from 2017/18 onwards of the Graduate Outcomes record.

Graduate Outcomes

The Graduate Outcomes record includes a survey of graduates around 15 months after they complete their studies. This survey will be run by a central contractor. In order to undertake this survey, providers will need to return accurate and comprehensive contact details for all of their graduates who fall into the target population. This manual describes the collection of these contact details only.

Data collected

The Graduate Outcomes record collects contact details for graduates. In order to ensure graduates are surveyed around 15 months after they complete their studies, graduates are split into four cohorts. Which cohort they fall in to will determine when their contact details need to be returned:

Completion of studies Provider portal opens Approval Survey undertaken
1 August 2020 - 31 October 2020 September 2021 November 2021 December 2021
1 November 2020 - 31 January 2021 December 2021 February 2022 March 2022
1 February 2021 - 30 April 2021 March 2022 May 2022 June 2022
1 May 2021 - 31 July 2021 May 2022 August 2022 September 2022

It is important that providers work to the set deadlines in order to complete the return on time and ensure data quality. We have published a full collection schedule.

Data collection

All HESA records are collected on the basis of the HESA reporting period, which determines the period of time the data being returned relates to. This ensures consistency across the data streams collected.

The reporting period is from 01 August in year 1 to 31 July in year 2. This means the 2020/21 Graduate Outcomes Record is collected in respect of students who completed eligible programmes of study between 01 August 2020 and 31 July 2021.


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