International students have so many factors to consider when choosing a university course. These can include which course you should take, what country you want to live in, what university you prefer, and which university is best for your degree. One question that international students should also consider when choosing where and what to study abroad is the employability ranking of a university. Read on to find out why.

What is an Employability Ranking?

Employability rankings give you information about the universities that offer the best career and employment opportunities, while at university and once you graduate. Universities do this by providing students with opportunities to develop the in-demand skills needed for today’s global job market and connecting them with industries and organisations.

How are the QS Employability Rankings developed?

It isn’t just a question of which universities get the most graduates into employment. It’s a more complicated and comprehensive process to determine where a university ranks. The QS Employability Rankings consist of five indicators: 

• Employer reputation (30 per cent) - This comes from over 75,000 answers to the QS Employer Survey. Employers are asked to name the universities they get their ‘most competent, innovative, and effective graduates from.

• Alumni outcomes (25 per cent) - Over ‘40,000 of the world’s most innovative, creative, wealthy, entrepreneurial, and/or philanthropic’ people are analysed to determine which universities are producing them. 

• Partnerships with Employers (25 per cent) - Investigation into which universities collaborate with global businesses to produce research. Work placements are also considered. 

• Employer/student connections (10 per cent) - This indicator looks at the employers who have been actively present on a university campus in the previous year. Being present on campus provides students with greater networking, research, and career opportunities. 

• Graduate employment rate (10 per cent) - This looks at the number of graduates in full or part-time employment within twelve months of graduating. 

How can employability rankings help international students?

According to the Edalex 2021 Employability Outcomes Survey Whitepaper:

‘Employability is a high priority, with almost 68% of learners choosing their next level of education based on what is accepted or required by employers. However, understanding of how to find employment remains low with only 33% feeling well prepared, 45% feeling somewhat prepared and 22% not feeling prepared at all.’

Career development is also a key factor for international students when choosing their degree. This has been underlined in recent research by IDP Connect. The research revealed that 68 per cent of prospective students listed career development as the number one motivation for choosing a degree path and university.

Knowing which university can provide the skills required by employers and which universities help their international students find employment and feel better prepared to enter the workforce is vital if the above statistics are to be considered.

Top Employability rankings in top destinations

Here’s a handy list of universities ranking highly in some top study destinations.

Tuition fees at these universities and the cost of living in some of these study destinations are among the highest in the world. There are other universities that also feature in the top 50 in the Employability Rankings for 2022 that might be more accessible for most international students.

With career and employment top of international students’ priorities, knowing the employability rankings of the universities you are considering should be one of the main criteria when choosing the right course and university for you. 

Our course matcher tool can help you find the right course and university. You can also compare institutions and courses. You can also use the Employability Rankings to see where that organisation ranks. It all helps you make the best study abroad decision.