UCT In Top 19% of Global Employability Rankings

28 Sep 2021
Photo: Canva
28 Sep 2021

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has been ranked 95th in the 2022 Quacquarelli-Symonds (QS) World Graduate Employability Rankings (GER). A total of 786 universities were analysed, six within South Africa. The report published on September 23rd, 2021, confirms UCT’s placement among the top 19% of the 550 institutions included in the rankings. 

How The Survey Works

The QS GER examines how well universities are preparing students for the world of work and considers five weighted indicators: 

  • Employer Reputation (30%):  the institution’s standing among employers. This indicator is based on more than 75 000 responses to the QS Employer Survey in which employers identify the most competent, innovative and effective graduates. 
  • Alumni Outcomes (25%): whether the institution produces high achieving, world-changing graduates. More than 150 lists of high-achievers are consulted.
  • Partnerships With Employers (25%): the level of collaboration between the institution and employers measured through publications and work-placement related partnerships. 
  • Employer-Student Connections (10%): employer presence and awareness on campus. 
  • Graduate Employment Rate (10%): the proportion of graduates employed within one year of graduating. This indicator excludes graduates who study further. 

UCT’s Score

UCT’s best performance indicators were Alumni where the institution placed 37th with a score of 90.3 out of 100 followed by Graduate Employment at 90.2. Dean of UCT’s Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED), Professor Alan Cliff, lauded the “incredibly impressive achievements by our Alumni”.

“My huge congratulations to Brenda Martin and her team at the UCT Careers Service! I know that the CS plays a strong role in preparing our graduates for the world of work post-tertiary studies. The university, CHED and I are very proud of what the CS has achieved, collectively and individually. I know the team to be hard-working, dedicated and committed and it is so pleasing to see their work and their energies recognised in this way. Their strong commitment to social justice and development, principled stance and underlying values contribute to the impact of their career development work in access, redress, equity and social and human development.”

View the complete QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022.

Learn more about the QS Graduate Employability Rankings methodology.