Independent research commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) suggests that most students feel confident about achieving their goals after graduation but would value strengthened access to support to help them manage the transition to life after study.
Conducted by IFF Research, the research examines the extent to which graduates feel prepared for life after their studies, and their views on the barriers and support that shaped their transitions. It comprised focus groups and a nationally representative poll of over 1,600 graduates from undergraduate and postgraduate courses at OfS-registered institutions.
The polling found that the majority (62 per cent) of graduates felt confident about achieving their goals after graduation, and half (50 per cent) felt prepared for life after leaving university or college. Other findings include:
- 88 per cent of respondents said that their university or college had helped to prepare them, with a third (33 per cent) using their institution’s career service for support.
- Graduates who had completed higher education studies in further education colleges were more likely to feel prepared (69 per cent) than graduates from courses at universities (50 per cent).
- Family and friends were the most useful source of support for most graduates (69 per cent), ranking higher than any kind of institutional support. Graduates who do not have a parent with a higher education qualification were less likely to find this kind of support useful (65 per cent compared to 74 per cent), highlighting the importance of institutions providing support for careers (and other next steps) to students whose families may not be able to.
Josh Fleming, Director of Strategy and Delivery at the OfS, said:
‘Life after higher education can feel like challenging and unfamiliar territory, and today’s students are graduating at a time of significant change. Most graduates go on to have successful careers and, as set out in this exploratory research, many institutions are doing impressive work to support students to achieve their goals.
‘A high proportion of students said they feel their institutions have helped to prepare them. This research identifies ways students’ experiences could be improved even further, for example by increasing students’ awareness of the opportunities available to them and supporting those who may not have access to advice from friends or family.
‘It’s important that we and the institutions we regulate have a good understanding of how students feel about life after graduation. We hope today’s research will be useful to universities and colleges as they continue to ensure every student is supported to succeed in higher education and beyond.’
Martin Edmondson, chief executive officer of the Graduate Futures Institute, said:
‘We’re pleased this report highlights the reach and impact of careers and employability services in higher education.
‘We know that our members want all students to know about the comprehensive careers offer and professional support available at their institution. We support the call for greater visibility, which must begin with appropriate institutional resourcing and prioritisation of the essential services that power a whole-institution approach to preparing students for life after education.’
Notes
- The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. Our strategy for 2025 to 2030 seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
- The student insight report was informed by research and case studies by the Graduate Futures Institute and its members, which helped shape interpretation of the student polling findings.