Surrey graduates achieve 96 per cent success rate for employment

Supporting our students’ careers 

Surrey has an outstanding record for graduate employability. It is built into the very core of our teaching. From our 2,300+ industry placement partners, to our specialist careers advisors and academics with real industry experience, we help our students to explore their options and get a head start in their careers.  

We've recently won the National Undergraduate Employability Award for the Best University Placement Service (Over 500 Placements) for the second year running, and we're ranked 1st in the UK and 7th in the world for work placements and research partnerships with employers, by the QS World Employability Rankings 2019.

Graduate Outcomes survey 2020

Graduates who completed a higher education course in the UK between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018 were invited to take part in the latest Graduate Outcomes survey, conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

The latest survey ranks Surrey graduates 12th in the UK (compared to other higher education institutions), with 96 per cent finding work or going on to further study within 15 months of graduating.* 

Key findings

• 96 per cent of Surrey undergraduates are in work or study
• 97 per cent of those who took industry placements are in work or study
• 84 per cent of undergraduates are in graduate-level roles (as opposed to roles not requiring a degree)
• 89 per cent of graduates strongly agree that their current activity is meaningful
• 84 per cent said their current activity fits with their future plans

Surrey’s ranking for the number of graduates in high-skilled jobs** 

• 2nd in the south east 
• 3rd in the south (combining south east and south west) 
• 9th overall in the UK 

Top 5 industries for Surrey graduates 

• Healthcare
• Education
• Engineering
• Finance
• Computing

Top 10 Surrey graduate occupations 

1. Nursing and midwifery
2. Business professional
3. Engineering professional
4. Finance professional
5. Sales and marketing professional
6. IT and telecommunications professional
7. Artistic, literary and media professional
8. Education professional
9. Natural and social sciences professional
10. Health professional

See the full survey results

Reflecting on the success

Frances Gow, Head of Employability and Careers at Surrey, said: “This result reflects the culture of collaboration at Surrey. Employability of our graduates is a collective responsibility that stretches across all subjects, departments and professional services. We work together to provide students with every opportunity to develop their professional skills both within and outside the curriculum. Our mission is to develop talented and highly sought-after global students and graduates. We achieve this by delivering excellence in employability, career management skills and entrepreneurship support through practice-centred learning, placements and creating opportunities with local, national and international organisations.” 

Find out more about our employability and careers service. 

*UK domiciled, undergraduate full-time students, Graduate Outcomes survey 2020, HESA 

**UK domiciled graduates of full-time, undergraduate qualifications, in full-time employment, from higher education institutions