What the OfS does for graduates

We want all students to gain the skills they need to succeed in future employment or further study.

To make sure this happens, we work across a number of areas:

1. Delivering successful outcomes

Any university or college which is registered with the Office for Students must meet conditions of registration.

One of these conditions requires that the university or college must deliver successful outcomes for all of its students which are recognised and valued by employers, and/or enable further study.

This means graduates of courses at universities and colleges registered with the Office for Students can be confident in the qualifications they get.

• Search our register of providers
• More about our conditions of registration

2. Information about graduate outcomes

We publish data on graduate earnings, employment and perceptions.

This information is available on the Discover Uni website.

We also collect and publish measures of graduate outcomes across the higher education sector as a whole.

• Visit Discover Uni
• See our measures of graduate outcomes

3. Courses in AI and data science

In partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Office for Artificial Intelligence, we are funding postgraduate conversion courses which provide graduates with the skills they need to start a career in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science.

They have been developed to respond to the shortage of data science and AI specialists in the UK, which is currently costing businesses more than £2 billion a year.

• Find out more about the conversion courses

4. Institute of Coding

We also fund the Institute of Coding, which helps graduates to find out more about digital, learn new skills, or prepare for a career by studying for a degree.

Their website includes a catalogue of online courses.

• Visit the Institute of Coding

5. Supporting local graduates

We are funding 16 projects across England, which are designed to help graduates find skilled employment in their home region.

Many of the projects provide work experience, internships, and additional training to help local students transition into highly skilled employment.

• Find out more about the projects

6. Student engagement in knowledge exchange

Knowledge exchange is a process that brings together academic staff, employers, users of research and wider groups and communities to exchange ideas, evidence and expertise. It often involves university students working across universities and local businesses, which improves the employability of students as well as benefits the local economy. 

We are funding 20 projects with Research England to explore the benefits to students and graduates of being involved in knowledge exchange activities. Evidence gained from these projects will help us to share good practice across the sector and improve future knowledge exchange activities.

• Find out more about the projects
• Read the summary evaluation reports