Australian Graduate Survey (GDS/CEQ)
The Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) has been conducted annually by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) and higher education institutions since 1972. Prior to 2006, it was known simply as the Graduate Destination Survey.
The Australian Graduate Survey consists of two components, the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) and the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) for coursework graduates, or the Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire (PREQ) for higher degree by research graduates.
The purpose of the surveys is to collect information on the main destinations and the higher education experiences of graduates shortly after they qualify, and provide institutions taking part in the survey with a range of information about their graduates.
CSU follows the Standard Recommended Methodology developed by the GCA Survey Reference Group and the AVCC. Graduates are invited to complete the AGS around four months after the completion of their course and is conducted in two rounds: October (for those completing in the first half of the year); and April (for those completing in the second half of the year). Graduates are given the option of completing the survey on paper or online. Responses are collated and submitted to GCA in September. Data is finalised in November/December and is available on Planning and Audit's website January/February.
The reference year for each survey is the year following the graduate's course completion. For example, the 2006 AGS is a survey of graduates who completed their course in the 2005 calendar year.