How important is the Graduate prospects measure?

Our league tables are here to help you find the best university for you. They don’t just allow you look at the overall top universities, by region or by subject; you can also search by other elements that are important to you. If your future career is a part of your uni choice, then you may want to sort the tables by Graduate prospects (outcomes).

Why do we include Graduate prospects in our league tables? 

Graduate prospects (outcomes) measures how successful students are when they leave a university, that is, whether they go on to a graduate-level job or further study. 

How are Graduate prospects calculated? 

Graduate prospects (outcomes) are defined as a measure of the success in employability or further study of graduates completing their first degree. 

The data is from the Graduate Outcomes survey, which took place fifteen months after the graduation of students in 2020–21.

To calculate the score, our league tables compilers take the number of graduates who took up highly skilled employment or further study, divided by the total number of graduates with a known destination. The figures are adjusted to take account of the subject mix at the university and shown as a percentage.

Find out more about how we calculate the rankings

Why are Graduate prospects important to students when deciding on a university?  

A good Graduate prospects (outcome) score shows that previous students have been successful at going into high-skilled work or postgraduate study after graduation, which in turn shows that their university has helped to prepare them successfully for their career.

However, a low score on this measure doesn't mean that many graduates were unemployed.

Some graduates start their career by taking a job in administration or as an office manager, as a sales supervisor or customer service manager, or in a skilled trade. These roles aren't classed as graduate-level professional roles but they can still help graduates on the way to their chosen career.

Some universities may also be geared towards helping local students get good jobs in their local economy. If they are in an area with few graduate-level roles, this could be reflected in their Graduate prospects (outcomes) score. 

Try sorting by Graduate prospects on one of our tables for yourself