Graduate panel survey 2017 (completed 2021)

Graduate surveys are the central source of information on the match between higher education qualifications and labour market requirements: They provide information on the professional fields and main activities of graduates, income and working hours, the fit between professional activity and the curriculum and retrospective evaluation of study programmes.

The Graduate Panel 2017 was the first  Germany wide project in graduate research to be carried out by a supra-regional group of research institutes. The group partners (DZHW, INCHER, ISTAT) intended to take into account the interests of a range of user groups as comprehensively as possible, with the aim that the network concept AP2017 may prove to be a long-term, workable solution. This new approach made it possible to use data not only for national education monitoring, scientific research in higher education but also for quality assessment of individual higher education institutions. Furthermore, parallel surveys by different actors were avoided. At the same time, the instrument allowed for a seamless continuation of most of the time series that originated in the DZHW graduate survey, the KOAB studies or a format based on one of these two types.

The collaborative research project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Prof. Dr. Georg Krücken (Head of project INCHER)

Dr. Choni Flöther (INCHER)

Dirk Reifenberg (ISTAT)

Gregor Fabian (Project management DZHW)

July 2017 -  June 2020