Summary: This report focuses on the destinations of young domestic graduates. It complements our recent publication What young graduates earn when they leave study which looks at the earnings of young graduates who remain in New Zealand. In this report, we focus on differences in what graduates do rather than what they earn after they complete their studies. We look not only at those who remain in New Zealand but also those who go overseas.

We also investigate whether trends in what graduates do after they complete their studies have changed in the last eight years or not (looking in detail at cohorts who graduated in 2003 to 2010). Comparing current figures to these historical ones helps to put current rates in perspective.

Knowing what graduates do after they complete their studies is important as it lets us know what types of graduates go overseas and how long for, while also looking at who does further study, enters employment or has a spell on a benefit. This sort of analysis is fundamental to an assessment of how the tertiary education system serves New Zealand. This is important as the Government makes a very large investment in tertiary education each year – funding tertiary education providers, providing subsidised student loans and granting student allowances. This information will also help prospective students, their families and advisors determine whether a particular course of study is likely to get them the result that they want. Individuals make a considerable financial and time investment when they choose to study a qualification, and this information will help them to make wise decisions.