'Feels like we've been scammed': Graduates unhappy with uni degrees

University graduates' satisfaction with degrees at record lows, according to government-funded survey Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 5:01pm In short: 120,000 students were surveyed for the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey across all 42 Australian universities. The QILT survey found graduate satisfaction was at its lowest level since the poll began in 2016. Advocates say new graduates are entering the labour market at a time of considerable uncertainty. Australian students are less satisfied with their university degrees than ever before, according to a long-running survey. Less than three-quarters, or 74.9 per cent, of undergraduates were "overall satisfied", according to the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey, which looked at 120,000 graduates from 136 higher education providers, including all 42 Australian universities. Satisfaction has been steadily declining since its peak of 80.6 per cent in 2020, with the survey linking satisfaction to job outcomes and suggesting students are struggling in the labour market. Lana, 23, is questioning the value of her degree after spending more than five hours a day applying for more than 400 jobs over the last month with no luck. "I have a degree, and I'm in debt, and I can't get a job," she said. Lana studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in immunology after being told it was a growing field during COVID-19 and that it would "open up a world of possibilities". She has since discovered she will need to pursue further studies to be qualified for entry-level jobs in her field. "I'm questioning if a degree means anything anymore because if, after studying at one of the most prestigious universities in Australia, I can't get a job in my field to begin with, let alone any job on the market," she said. "I am questioning, 'What's the point?'" Lana said she "ticked off everything you could possibly tick off" during university to build up her CV, including joining the student union, clubs and societies, doing internships and working various part-time jobs. "I worked very hard … and it feels like we've been scammed,"she said. Graduates entering 'competitive entry-level job market' The Social Research Centre (SRC) undertakes the QILT surveys on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Education, which established the survey to give students nationally consistent data on university quality. The most recent survey found full-time employment rates for domestic undergraduate students rose slightly to 75.4 per cent in 2025 but remained below the peak of 79 per cent in 2023. The proportion of those with an undergraduate degree who were employed in a managerial or professional job shortly after completion fell to 67.3 per cent in 2025, down from 72.3 per cent in 2016. The number of students pursuing further study rather than landing a job also rose, with 19.3 per cent of undergraduates and 8.2 per cent of postgraduate students now going on to further full-time study. "While we can't be certain, this may be driven by graduates aiming to differentiate themselves in a competitive entry-level job market, and by the increased provision of fee-free TAFE courses since 2023," the SRC's Angela Baker said. The survey found salaries for all domestic students increased slightly, with the average full-time salary for undergraduates lifting to $77,000 and postgraduate coursework students earning $104,700. However, the SRC also highlighted a finding that just under 30 per cent of all graduates employed full time reported being "over-qualified". "In many cases, these are entry-level positions that don't fully utilise their skills, roles taken while changing careers, or jobs outside their field because they haven't yet been able to secure work aligned with their qualifications," Dr Baker said. Universities Australia, which represents Australia's 39 public universities, said the survey showed the "fundamentals" of a university degree remain strong and the country needed more graduates. "At the same time, graduates are entering a competitive and changing labour market, and some are taking longer to move into roles that fully use their skills," chief executive Luke Sheehy said. "Universities take that seriously and will keep working with employers and government to strengthen the transition from study to work." The report comes a week after university leaders hailed their "historic" progress in global university rankings, with most universities improving their positions. Monash University higher education expert Andrew Norton said measures of satisfaction and employability were far more important for domestic students than global rankings, and noted satisfaction fell for the fifth year in a row in the QILT survey. "The results are clearly off their post-lockdown peak. It has become slightly more difficult for new graduates to find full-time work," said . "Graduates in IT have done particularly badly. Possibly they are suffering from AI affecting graduate jobs in IT." Professor Norton said falling satisfaction was also likely linked to some students continuing to study remotely. "This lack of contact with other students has probably diminished the university experience for many and we can see this in declining satisfaction." Research shows university graduates continue to earn higher salaries on average than their peers without a degree. The 'big piece missing' Alex McVeigh founded She Graduates, a business helping female university and high school students secure their dream graduate job, after she saw young talent fall through the cracks. "We're living in a very uncertain time for students about what their future prospects will hold," Ms McVeigh said. She said while employability outcomes were improving in some areas like healthcare, graduates in industries like business and technology, can find it tough to land a job. Ms McVeigh said there was a "big piece missing" on university campuses around how students were being prepared for the job market. "I think where universities fall down is helping students be more well-rounded and understand the recruitment process well before they graduate. "Don't rely on the students picking this up of their own accord because, unfortunately, a lot of them then fall through the cracks and they never receive this information," she said.