Graduate destinations

17 February 2022

Dear 

ATISN 15999

Thank you for your request which I received on 20 January 2022. You asked:

1.    What are the top ten cities for graduates from Welsh Universities to settle?
2.    What are the top ten countries for graduates from Welsh Universities to settle?
3.    How many graduates from Welsh Universities remained in Wales during the years 2016-2021? (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

The Welsh Government does not hold information on graduate destinations in this form. You may wish to refer to statistics derived from the Graduate Outcomes Survey and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Information is currently published for graduates from academic years 2017/18 and 2018/19.

The Welsh Government participates in the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes Study (LEO) which links education records (including from HESA) to data on employment, earnings and benefits from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions. Data analysis using LEO data is currently focused on leavers from school sixth forms and further education institutions for the purposes of producing the learner destinations post-16 performance measure, though it would be possible to utilise this data to analyse the destinations of higher education leavers. The Welsh Government intends to undertake a further programme of thematic analysis on a range of topics using this data in future.

If you are dissatisfied with the Welsh Government’s handling of your request, you can ask for an internal review within 40 working days of the date of this response. Requests for an internal review should be addressed to the Welsh Government’s Freedom of Information Officer at: 

Information Rights Unit 
Welsh Government
Cathays Park 
Cardiff 
CF10 3NQ 

or e-mail: Freedom.ofinformation@gov.wales

Please remember to quote the ATISN reference number above.    

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:  

Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk         

However, please note that the Commissioner will not normally investigate a complaint until it has been through our own internal review process.

Yours sincerely