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Figure 2 - Weighted median salaries of full-time graduates who obtained first degree qualifications and entered full-time paid employment in the UK

HE Graduate Outcomes Data

Figure 2 - Weighted median salaries of full-time graduates who obtained first degree qualifications and entered full-time paid employment in the UK

Academic year 2020/21

 

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Weighted median salary is a way of calculating the middle salary (50th percentile) when there are different groups or categories involved. This method accounts for groups of different sizes, giving more weight to groups with more people. This means the salaries of graduates from smaller groups are not over-represented and don't have a disproportionate effect on the overall median.

To find the weighted median salary, we first arrange the salaries from lowest to highest. Then, we calculate the cumulative proportion of people in each group as we go along. The weighted median is the salary where the cumulative proportion or total weight to the left of the median salary equals half of the total weight. When there is no such value, linear interpolation is performed. If the weights are equal, then the weighted median is equivalent to the arithmetic median.

Type of data

Survey data

Data source

HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) is part of Jisc. We are the experts in UK higher education data and analysis. We have been collecting higher education information since the 1994/95 academic year.

We collect data on the activities of graduates from higher education via the Graduate Outcomes survey, an annual survey that asks about activities 15 months after graduation. Characteristics of graduates who achieved higher education qualifications from Higher Education providers in the UK and Further Education colleges in Wales are taken from the HESA Student record and alternative provider student record data collections.

Characteristics of graduates at Further Education colleges (FECs) in England are taken from data provided by the OfS from the Individualised Learner Record. Characteristics of graduates at FECs in Northern Ireland are taken from data provided by DfE(NI) from the Consolidated Data Return (CDR).

We provide data and analysis on graduates to a wide variety of customers, including:

  • Governments
  • Universities (via the Heidi Plus analytics tool)
  • Academic and commercial researchers
  • Students and potential students
  • Trade unions and employers' associations
  • Policy makers.

Our data is used to regulate the sector, inform policy making, advance understanding of social and economic trends, support decision making, and enhance public understanding of - and confidence in - the higher education sector.

Rounding and suppression strategy

We implement a rounding and suppression strategy in published and released tabulations designed to prevent the disclosure of personal information about any individual. This strategy involves rounding all numbers to the nearest multiple of 5 and suppressing percentages and averages based on small populations.

Related releases

We publish annual and ad-hoc statistical bulletins about graduates.

Our HE Graduate Outcomes Open Data pages collect together all of the tables we publish on graduates.

Further information

open-data   Open data licence: CC-BY-4.0