Graduate outcomes in Australia, by field of study
How many graduates are in full-time work four to six months after completing their course, what they earn, and how far international graduates sit behind or ahead of domestic ones. Every figure is from the Australian Government's 2024 Graduate Outcomes Survey.
The national gap for international undergraduates is 21.7 percentage points. That average is close to useless on its own: it runs from Dentistry, where international graduates do better than domestic ones, to Communications, where fewer than a third find full-time work. Find your own field.
Undergraduate
Across all study areas, 52.3% of international graduates and 74.0% of domestic graduates were in full-time work.
| Study area | Full time, intl | Full time, dom | Gap (pp) | Median salary, intl | Median salary, dom | Aged 30 and under, intl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and environmental studies | 50.0% | 77.8% | -27.8 | n/a | $71,500 | 93.1% |
| Architecture and built environment | 40.9% | 66.6% | -25.7 | $62,300 | $75,000 | 96.4% |
| Business and management | 51.6% | 78.5% | -26.9 | $60,000 | $72,000 | 96.4% |
| Communications | 32.2% | 58.3% | -26.1 | $57,400 | $65,200 | 98.2% |
| Computing and information systems | 43.5% | 67.8% | -24.3 | $63,400 | $75,300 | 95.7% |
| Creative arts | 37.8% | 48.4% | -10.6 | $60,000 | $62,600 | 95.9% |
| Dentistry | 93.3% | 85.6% | +7.7 | n/a | $103,300 | 90.7% |
| Engineering | 55.9% | 85.5% | -29.6 | $70,000 | $80,000 | 96.1% |
| Health services and support | 52.0% | 75.4% | -23.4 | $68,900 | $74,900 | 88.9% |
| Humanities, culture and social sciences | 40.3% | 66.7% | -26.4 | $65,300 | $73,100 | 93.4% |
| Law and paralegal studies | 48.0% | 79.3% | -31.3 | $73,500 | $76,000 | 97.1% |
| Medicine | 88.7% | 90.4% | -1.7 | $83,300 | $86,800 | 97.5% |
| Nursing | 67.7% | 85.5% | -17.8 | $72,700 | $72,000 | 77.0% |
| Pharmacy | 90.8% | 91.4% | -0.6 | $57,800 | $59,500 | 93.3% |
| Psychology | 40.9% | 65.5% | -24.6 | $70,000 | $75,100 | 97.1% |
| Rehabilitation | 79.7% | 94.9% | -15.2 | $73,100 | $75,000 | 89.9% |
| Science and mathematics | 41.8% | 63.6% | -21.8 | $67,000 | $72,400 | 99.2% |
| Social work | 54.3% | 77.3% | -23.0 | $71,400 | $82,000 | 68.9% |
| Teacher education | 80.9% | 86.8% | -5.9 | $77,000 | $78,800 | 82.3% |
| Tourism, hospitality, personal services, sport and recreation | 68.5% | 69.8% | -1.3 | n/a | $63,900 | 97.8% |
| Veterinary science | 81.4% | 84.7% | -3.3 | $72,500 | $70,000 | 91.9% |
| All study areas | 52.3% | 74.0% | -21.7 | $68,000 | $75,000 | 92.8% |
Postgraduate coursework
Across all study areas, 56.1% of international graduates and 88.1% of domestic graduates were in full-time work.
| Study area | Full time, intl | Full time, dom | Gap (pp) | Median salary, intl | Median salary, dom | Aged 30 and under, intl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and environmental studies | 44.3% | 80.3% | -36.0 | $70,000 | $94,000 | 79.1% |
| Architecture and built environment | 51.4% | 74.8% | -23.4 | $65,000 | $84,500 | 86.7% |
| Business and management | 56.5% | 92.3% | -35.8 | $65,000 | $124,000 | 76.3% |
| Communications | 48.5% | 68.2% | -19.7 | $59,300 | $78,000 | 87.2% |
| Computing and information systems | 49.0% | 81.2% | -32.2 | $70,000 | $110,000 | 77.2% |
| Creative arts | 41.6% | 66.9% | -25.3 | $61,300 | $81,000 | 85.5% |
| Dentistry | n/a | 93.1% | n/a | n/a | $130,000 | 73.5% |
| Engineering | 57.2% | 88.3% | -31.1 | $74,100 | $111,000 | 84.6% |
| Health services and support | 56.0% | 87.1% | -31.1 | $73,200 | $103,000 | 66.0% |
| Humanities, culture and social sciences | 56.1% | 82.1% | -26.0 | $60,500 | $99,000 | 59.6% |
| Law and paralegal studies | 69.8% | 89.4% | -19.6 | $70,200 | $90,000 | 73.4% |
| Medicine | 89.9% | 96.7% | -6.8 | $87,700 | $90,000 | 79.4% |
| Nursing | 68.9% | 94.3% | -25.4 | $71,200 | $99,900 | 62.5% |
| Pharmacy | 70.4% | 93.8% | -23.4 | n/a | $87,000 | 83.9% |
| Psychology | 61.5% | 85.2% | -23.7 | n/a | $97,700 | 75.3% |
| Rehabilitation | 89.9% | 90.9% | -1.0 | $74,300 | $79,600 | 86.1% |
| Science and mathematics | 48.1% | 79.3% | -31.2 | $66,000 | $100,000 | 86.1% |
| Social work | 57.2% | 78.6% | -21.4 | $76,500 | $94,100 | 69.8% |
| Teacher education | 65.7% | 89.9% | -24.2 | $73,100 | $96,000 | 69.4% |
| Tourism, hospitality, personal services, sport and recreation | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 87.5% |
| Veterinary science | 74.3% | 94.9% | -20.6 | n/a | $76,500 | 87.2% |
| All study areas | 56.1% | 88.1% | -32.0 | $70,000 | $100,000 | 75.8% |
How to read this
- Gap is international minus domestic, in percentage points. Negative means international graduates are employed full time less often.
- n/a is the survey's own suppression: fewer than 25 graduates answered, so no figure is published. It does not mean zero.
- Aged 30 and under is included because it explains a large part of the gap. Domestic postgraduate students are typically older and already working; international ones usually are not.
- Salaries cover graduates working full time in Australia only.
Source
2024 Graduate Outcomes Survey, International Report, Social Research Centre for the Australian Government Department of Education, published September 2025. Tables 4 and 5. Methodology and the full data tables are on the QILT website.
This page reproduces published government figures and adds the gap calculation and ranking. It is general information, not migration or career advice. Free to cite with a link.