A lot can happen in your first ten years out of university, and a current study is aiming to assess exactly what, with the second round of data collection coming up.
The Graduate Longitudinal Study New Zealand (GLSNZ) began in 2011, and tracks graduates over time to assess the impact of a university education. The study explores how graduates fare in the years following university, in terms of their lifestyles, employment, career development, and their health and wellbeing.
The study was launched by Universities New Zealand (UNZ), a body made up of the Vice-Chancellors of New Zealand’s eight universities, and is responsible for the quality of university programmes, administering a range of scholarships, and representing universities in the public interest.
During the period August to December 2011, more than 8600 final-year students from across New Zealand’s eight universities were surveyed. These students will be followed up in two more survey-waves after the current wave, which will be conducted at five years (2016) and ten years (2021) since the initial survey in 2011.
GLSNZ Director Professor Richie Poulton says one of the advantages of a longitudinal study is that it will help to assess the value of a New Zealand university education.
“[The survey] will provide an unparalleled opportunity to study, in detail, graduates’ life-course pathways after graduation,” said Poulton.
For more information on the first follow-up and the next phases of the survey, email enquiries@glsnz.org.nz or visit the Facebook page facebook.com/gradstudy.