The first cycle of the National Graduate Tracking Survey was addressed to graduates of the academic years 2016-2017 and 2020-2021. The data collection took place during February and March 2023 through an online questionnaire which was administered in two languages, Greek and English. The questionnaire included questions in six thematic areas: “Education History”, “Employment”, “Skills/ Competencies”, “Regional Mobility”, “Career Counselling in Upper Secondary Education and Higher Education” and “Upskilling and Reskilling during Employment”. The first four thematic areas were also part of the EUROGRADUATE Survey’s questionnaire, while the last two were national thematic sections added by the Department of Higher Education. It is noted that, an additional section collected data on personal and social background. Various question types were included in the questionnaire, but also several standardized lists and taxonomies to enhance the quality and comparability of the gathered data.
The total target population for the National Graduate Tracking and EUROGRADUATE surveys for 2022 comprised of 24.095 graduates, out of which 10.478 were 2016/17 graduates (i.e., five years after graduation-T+5) and 13.617 were 2020/21 graduates (one year after graduation-T+1). During the Invitation and Reminders phases, 1764 graduates were unreachable, therefore the net population decreased to 22.331. A total of 1476 graduates responded to the questionnaire. Based on EUROGRADUATE consortium’s definition for valid cases, the total number of respondents was 1438, 524 for T+5 (2016-17) and 914 for T+1 (2020-21).
When considering the target group, the relevant guidelines provided by the EUROGRADUATE consortium were considered, however some unique aspects were applied, considering that Cyprus would not only participate in the EUROGRADUATE survey but would also develop and run its National Graduate Tracking Survey in parallel. Therefore, the final selection criteria for participants in the EUROGRADUATE and National Graduate Tracking surveys for 2022 were the following:
- Graduates of academic years 2016-17 and 2020-21 from all Higher Education Institutions in Cyprus, both private and public universities and institutions.
- Graduates holding degrees corresponding to ISCED 2011/ NQF levels 5, 6, and 7.
- Graduates of all nationalities, irrespective of their location prior to their education (e.g., school or first degree) and their current or permanent location after graduation (the survey sample includes graduates of Cyprus Higher Education, whether they reside within or outside Cyprus).
- Graduates of all enrolment statuses (e.g., full-time, part-time, distance learning).
The total population of Cyprus Higher Education graduates for the academic years 2016-17 and 2020-21 comes from 46 and 52 public and private Higher Education Institutions respectively. Namely, the Cyprus Higher Education Institutions whose graduates formed the surveys’ population are:
It is also noted that, the EUROGRADUATE survey excluded graduates who studied in institutions where students are employed and which are run by an employer, such as military or police universities/colleges, or corporate universities. An example of this is the Cyprus Police Academy, where graduates are employed after passing the relevant examination to enter the Academy and after the successful completion of their studies in the Police Academy. It is important to note that the Cyprus Police Academy was not excluded from the National Graduate Tracking Survey however, their data were included and presented only in some sections of the report.