Department publishes Higher Education Performance Indicator statistics
Date published:
The Department for the Economy has today published a statistical fact sheet: Performance Indicators in Higher Education: Employment Indicator - Northern Ireland Analysis 2014/15.
This indicator expresses the number of graduates who are working or studying (or both) as a percentage of graduates who are working or studying (or both) or seeking work. Benchmarks against which an institution’s value can be compared have been produced. For this indicator a value higher than the benchmark indicates that an institution is performing well.
Key findings
- Of the full-time first degree graduates from Northern Ireland (NI) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 2014/15 who were in work and/or study or seeking work, 93.5% (93.7% in 2013/14) were in work and/or study. The comparable figure for UK HEIs is 93.9% (93.2% in 2013/14);
- At the institutional level, St Mary’s – 97.2% (benchmark – 96.9%) and Stranmillis – 99.4% (benchmark – 98.0%) were performing above, but not significantly above, their benchmarks;
- Queens University – 93.5% (benchmark – 95.3%) and Ulster University – 93.0% (benchmark – 94.4%) were performing below, but not significantly below, their benchmarks.
This document is available to download from the Department’s website.
A full set of tables, including further information on the Performance Indicators for NI HEIs and all other publicly funded HEIs in the UK, are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and are available to download here.
Notes to editors:
- The statistics presented in this bulletin are based on data supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA is the official agency for the collection of information on publicly funded Higher Education (HE) institutions in the UK.
- The HESA data presented in this bulletin relate to students at HE institutions in NI and does not include HE students at FE colleges in NI or GB, or at institutions in the Republic of Ireland.
- From the 2014/15 academic year onwards, DfE no longer counts the Open University as a wholly English institution, but splits it between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, depending on where the national centre is located.
- HE students for the purpose of HESA's data collection are those students on courses for which the level of instruction is above that of level 3 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (for example, courses at the level of Certificate of HE and above).
- Differences between institutions, such as subject mix or the qualifications on entry of their students, make comparisons between institutions unreliable. For this reason benchmarks against which an institution’s value can be compared have been produced. For this indicator a value higher than the benchmark indicates that an institution is performing well.
- The academic year runs from 1 August to 31 July.
- Further notes and technical details are available in the bulletin on the Department’s website: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/.
- All media queries should be directed to the Department for the Economy Press Office on 028 9052 9604. Out of hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.