Longitudinal study surveys international graduates of UK education

Together, ACER UK and British Council designed and developed a survey consisting of an online questionnaire and interviews, to systemically and periodically gather information from international alumni, with the aim of building a valuable longitudinal dataset through annual data collection for an initial period of 5 years.

The longitudinal survey has 3 key objectives:

• To collect robust evidence of the value of international education in the UK. This encompasses the value to the UK in terms of long-term relationships, business links, trust and reputation, as well as the value to the student in areas such as employability and social capital.
• To evaluate the Alumni UK programme by assessing what is effective and gathering evidence on the programme's overall impact.
• To assist the British Council in exploring longitudinal studies: identifying what works well, the challenges encountered, and the lessons that can be drawn from the process.

The first year of the study is now complete and the findings are shared in the British Council research report. Broadly speaking, the study found that international alumni of UK education highly valued their educational experience in the UK, sharing many positive outcomes they associated with this experience, such as improved career prospects. Consequently, the majority of Alumni UK respondents were likely to recommend both studying in and visiting the UK.

The study was conducted in 2 parts. Part 1 involved the review, advisory support and delivery of an online quantitative survey distributed to registered participants of the UK Alumni platform. Part 2 comprised consultations in the form of interviews with 23 survey respondents from 7 countries. All data was collected between December 2023 and January 2024. The study is now moving into its second year, with data collection due for completion before the end of 2024.