The 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey, which monitors graduate employment and earnings and ranks universities accordingly, is funded by the Federal Government Department of Education and Training and is part of the Quality Indicators of Learning and Teaching (QILT) program.

The 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L) measures the medium-term outcomes of higher education graduates based on a cohort analysis of responses from 39,744 graduates who responded to the 2015 Australian Graduate Survey.

The report examines the short-term and medium-term labour force outcomes of graduates in 2014 who provided a valid response to the 2015 AGS and 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey and for the first time, details graduates' earnings in their first years of employment on an individual university data basis.

Federation University was one of 60 institutions who chose to participate, including 39 universities and 21 non-university higher education institutions.

The analysis of income four years after graduating revealed Federation University graduates earned a median full time salary of $64,000, with Monash University being the only institution out of Victoria's six largest universities to reach the $70,000 threshold.

By contrast, based on the class of 2014, the survey found that by 2018, graduates of the six largest NSW universities were earning a median salary of at least $70,000.

The Fed Uni graduate income results have declined since the 2017 Graduate Outcomes Survey and differ markedly from the results of the 2019 Good Universities Guide, which ranked FedUni first in Victoria for graduates’ commencing salary.

Federation University Professor Andy Smith, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), said the university “welcomes the 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey”.

“FedUni has a strong track record in employment outcomes, which is largely borne out by this survey,” he said. “Our graduates and postgraduates are amongst the most employable in the nation and in several of the Graduate Outcomes rankings (in the survey report) FedUni has scored above the national average.”

“Most of our graduates, particularly in popular programs such as nursing, teaching, business and engineering, will see their salaries rise as they progress in their careers,” Professor Smith said.

“The Graduate Outcomes Survey is based on a cohort analysis of graduates who responded to the 2015 Graduate Destinations Survey. It refers to many of our students who have now moved on to successful careers.”

And while nine in 10 graduates are in full-time work a few years out of university, the short and medium-term employment prospects reveal it has taken longer to find work, especially those with generalist degrees, compared with prior to the global financial crisis.

The career fields with the highest overall salaries, four years after completion of an undergraduate degree were: dentistry (($110,000) and medicine ($98,400), followed by engineering ($77,000) and law ($76,000).

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