Welcome to the latest edition of the HEA Statistics Newsletter.

In this edition we will take you through our latest annual Graduate Outcomes Survey Report (Class of 2022) key findings. Also, we see the launch of the 2023 StudentSurvey.ie National Reports.

As always we welcome all feedback from our readers, and you can let us know your thoughts by contacting us at [email protected]. You can sign up to receive this newsletter direct to your inbox here.

The Graduate Outcomes Survey is a nationally representative annual survey of graduates across the higher education system. In November we released the latest data on graduate outcomes, which shows high levels of employment for higher education graduates of 2022 nine months after graduation.

There have been four info-byte releases on the outcomes for each particular cohort. These include level 6 and 7 graduates, honours degree graduates, postgraduate taught and research graduates. These can be found on the right-hand side of the report link above. We will be releasing further info-bytes here over the coming weeks.

We also have a dashboard on HEI level data. The dashboard has three tabs - background information, graduate outcomes by HEI and a third looking at employment outcomes for undergraduate honours degree graduates for each HEI. This dashboard can be found in the link below.

The HEA is a co-sponsor of the national survey of student engagement, StudentSurvey.ie. 

StudentSurvey.ie is a comprehensive survey that is aimed at students who are currently enrolled in higher education.

The survey asks students directly about their experiences of higher education in Ireland, including their academic, personal, and social development.

Each participating institution selects a specific three-week period during February and March to open the survey for their students.

The survey consists of 65 questions, grouped by the engagement indicator to which they relate. These indicators include Supportive Environment, Learning Strategies, Student-Faculty Interaction and more. 

Key findings:

• Looking at the StudentSurvey.ie National Reports that uses indicators as methods of examining students responses, we see 51.0% of students indicated as excellent (6/7 or 7/7) the quality of interactions with academic staff.
• Quality of Interactions, 51.0% of students indicated as excellent (6/7 or 7/7) the quality of interactions with academic staff
• Effective Teaching Practices, 66.6% of students believed that lecturers/teaching staff clearly explained course goals and requirements

PGR StudentSurvey.ie invites responses from postgraduate research (PGR) students on a biennial survey cycle. PGR StudentSurvey.ie asks students directly about their experiences of higher education in Ireland, including their academic, personal, and social development.

Key findings:

• This national report shows that 87.5% mostly/definitely agreed that they have regular contact with their supervisor(s), appropriate for their needs.
• 62.4% mostly/definitely agreed that they received an appropriate induction/orientation to their research degree programme. 
• 86.0% mostly/definitely agreed that their skills in applying appropriate research methodologies, tools and techniques have developed during their programme. 

More information can be found out below. 

Go to Survey ...

We were delighted to attend the launch of the latest wave of the Pobal HP Deprivation Index in November. Almost 19,000 small areas (50-200 households) have been indexed, leading to the development of a detailed map of relative affluence and disadvantage in Ireland, based on a composite of measures. The HEA uses these Deprivation Index Scores to create socio-economic profiles of the higher education student population in Ireland. In 2024, we will apply the updated HP Deprivation Index to the 2022/23 cohort of students; and this data will be used to measure progress made with respect to national targets on equity of access to higher education.

Finally, a huge thank you to all HEIs who have submitted their November returns. The deadline for this was 30 November 2023. We really appreciate all the work that has gone into this.

To our subscribers, as the year draws to a close, the statistics team at the HEA extends warms wishes for a joyful Christmas and a happy New Year. May this season bring you moments of joy and happiness.