The 10 Australian universities giving graduates the greatest job success.

As another year of Year 12 students are readying themselves for final exams, emotional goodbyes and the adventure that’s to come, The Good Universities Guide has released its latest data on graduate outcomes from different universities across Australia.

It might help in decision making. It might discourage study in certain areas. It will almost certainly light a fire of competitiveness in the bellies of school-leavers: the job market, it seems, is no friendly place for university graduates. There’s hard work to come.

The Good Universities Guide 2018 shows that, while universities around the country are providing a high-quality experience for students, finding a job out of university is proving difficult for many.

Four months after graduation, and an average of 69.5 per cent of undergraduates can expect to be employed full-time. Leaving more than 30 per cent of graduates hunting for work.

Those who are hired, aren’t being paid well, either. With the average full-time starting salary $56,000 – equivalent to vocational graduates without a hefty HECS debt.

The best areas for finding work? Anything in healthcare, with students from rehabilitation, medicine, dentistry and pharmacy finding work faster with better starting salaries.

“These outcomes correlate with job outlook predictions,” a press release from The Good Universities Guide states. “Australia’s ageing population will increase the need for qualified professionals in health-related fields, offering a pathway for students that will continue to expand and evolve throughout their career journey.”

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The university experience, however, is better than ever. With students across Australia happy across six measures of student satisfaction, including; Learning Resources, Learner Engagement, Student Support, Skills Development, Teaching Quality and Overall Experience.

The Guide ranked universities according to graduate outcomes – the number of students employed at four months post-graduation; as well as starting salary; and overall student experience.

The results are telling:

It seems regional universities are doing best when it comes to students finding work. The top 10 universities, according to graduate outcomes, include:

1. Charles Sturt University: 83.90 per cent of graduates were employed full-time four months degree completion.
2. University of Southern Queensland: 82.50 per cent
3. Charles Darwin University: 82.30 per cent
4. Central Queensland University: 80.60 per cent
5. The University of Notre Dame Australia: 79.60 per cent
6. University of New England: 77.30 per cent
7. University of New South Wales: 76.40 per cent
8. James Cook University: 74.90 per cent
9. University of Wollongong: 73.10 per cent
10. Australian Catholic University: 73.00 per cent

The University of Southern Queensland ($61,000), The University of Western Australia ($60,900) and Charles Darwin University ($60,500) were the top performers in terms of graduate salary.

And, for student experience, Bond University came in on top, with overall student satisfaction at 90.20 per cent.

The University of Notre Dame Australia (89.80 per cent), Edith Cowan University (86.10 per cent), University of the Sunshine Coast (85.80 per cent), and Griffith University (84.30 per cent) followed relatively closely behind.

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