If you are considering taking a degree then you may well be interested to know what happened to last year’s cohort of graduates.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency has announced some fascinating figures to show the destination of those who graduated in 2015/2016.
The HESA was able to secure feedback from 412,300 UK and other EU leavers who graduated from higher education last year – from a potential pool of 529,445.
It gives a clear snapshot of the trends and opportunities.
Further study enrolment increases
One key fact from the statistics is that in 2015/16, there was an increase in people continuing with their studies beyond their initial degree. The figure for students seeking more academic qualifications post-graduation rose to 15%, which is the highest it has been in the past five years.
Unemployment down
At the time of the survey (January 2017), 5% of graduates from 2015/16 were registered as unemployed. This total figure has seen a gradual decrease in the past five years.
The increase in those continuing studies and the decline in those registered as unemployed left a total of 68% in employment.
Salary averages for last year’s graduates
Those considering taking degrees in Business and Finance – or students about to start their degree final year – may be interested to know the average earnings of last year’s graduates.
The mean salary six months after graduating (measured in January of this year) for respondents who had taken Business Studies, was 
22,000.
If a Diploma in Education is what you aspire to, then you be interested to note that the mean salary for that sector (six months after graduation) was 20,500.
Scoring high on the salary scale were medical sciences, but also graduates who had taken STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Postgraduates higher employment that graduates
Another interesting area of the research findings published by the HESA is the substantial variation in where graduates ended up, compared to what qualification level they achieved and how they gained those qualifications.
For those research subjects that could be tracked after graduation in 2015/16, 80% of those leaving full-time postgraduate courses were in UK or overseas employment. When compared to the 68% employment rate for first degree leavers, it indicates that further higher education studies do facilitate the increased likelihood of employment.
What you can count on
To increase your chances of securing a professional post in the UK and overseas, talk to the team at Mont Rose College in Ilford.
Statistics are great – but it’s more important to find the degree programme that best suits you as an individual. And that’s something you can count on at Mont Rose College.
