Student sat in chair smiling at another person

help to paint the bigger picture 

A national survey for every student who has qualified at a UK university since 1 August 2017

What is the Graduate Outcomes Survey?

It’s a national survey, for every student who has qualified at a UK university since 1 August 2017. The survey runs 4 times a year. It aims to find out what graduates with all types of qualification go on to do.

By taking part, you’ll help to paint the big picture. In particular, you’ll show the world that Portsmouth can open doors to successful futures.

Graduate Outcomes replaces the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, which showed the percentage of graduates in work or further study 6 months after finishing their degree. The last DLHE survey was conducted in 2017.

Instead of looking at what you’re up to 6 months after graduation, Graduate Outcomes finds out what graduates are doing after 15 months.

Graduate Outcomes data is displayed on our course pages where 90% or more of our students are in work or further study 15 months after graduation. The data is produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

What difference can I make by taking part?

Your answers will help in all kinds of ways. For example:

  • Our Careers and Employability Service will be able to give you more tailored careers advice, which you can access for up to five years after you graduate
  • Current students will be able to see what recent graduates are up to
  • Prospective students will be able to consider what a course might lead to
  • It will become easier to compare different universities, courses and characteristics
  • Universities and the Government will be able to make more informed decisions

Will my data be made public?

No, your personal data will be protected. Graduate Outcomes is about painting the big picture, not individual portraits. Findings from the survey won’t use individual data or data that could identify an individual.

Who runs the survey?

This statutory survey is conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and their contractors. Like all higher education providers in the UK, the University of Portsmouth is legally required to provide up-to-date contact details for all of our graduates.

How do I complete the survey?

Around 15 months after you graduate, you’ll receive an e-mail and/or SMS message inviting you to complete the survey online. You can do this on your phone, tablet or computer.

Someone may also call, to ask you the survey questions over the phone. They’ll record your responses. If they can’t reach you, they may ask a third party on your behalf.

Where can I find out more?

More information is available on the Graduate Outcomes Survey website.