HAVE YOUR SAY: RESULTS FROM OUR WORLDWIDE ALUMNI SURVEY 
12 Oct 2020
Did you know that there are over 200,000 graduates of Queen’s living all around the world? We want to ensure that the University sustains a strong relationship with our alumni after they leave campus, and develop a strategy that puts graduates at the heart of this mission.
Queen’s University undertook a largescale online survey in 2019, which attracted almost 3,000 responses from graduates worldwide (59% from NI, 6% ROI, 17% GB and 18% from the rest of the world). Our research has three aims:
- To find out what the graduate populations wants from Queen’s
- To investigate how alumni of Queen’s feel about giving back to the University, both financially and non-financially
- To update our existing data on graduates around the world.”
Who did we survey?
Out of participants, 52% identified as male and 46% as female. At 76%, most of our participants said they resided in the UK; 59% specifically resided in NI. Most of our participants graduated from the University before 1990 at 36%, while only 23% graduated in the last five years.
Did our graduates enjoy their time as a student at Queen’s?
It seems so. A resounding number of participants told us they feel positive about their experience at Queen’s; 88% reported a good or excellent experience at University. 87% were overwhelmingly proud to have studied at this institution, a result that is higher than comparable results from other UK Universities. In fact, Queen’s significantly outperforms benchmark scores for satisfaction from other Russell Group universities.
How do alumni around the world feel about giving something back to Queen’s?
33% were interested in supporting the University through volunteering and 44% would be happy to respond to monthly surveys. Although three-fifths of alumni know that Queen’s has a charitable foundation and 33% of them have given to Queen’s, less than one third know that 100% of donated funds are spent on University projects and initiatives.
Alumni are relatively unaware of the benefits they are entitled to as graduates of Queen’s.
While interest was high for alumni benefits, less alumni know about what is on offer, such as discounts on further study, access to career development for life, and exclusive event invitations. Beyond email and postal communications, many graduates are not taking advantage of the benefits currently on offer to them. The good news? Those of you who are 30 years of age and under show high interest for the benefits on offer to you.
Are you keeping in touch with old friends?
Half of participants said they were still in contact with more than six other graduates from the University. 10% said they were in touch with more than 20 fellow alumni. Our graduates are more likely to keep in touch with each other when compared with alumni from other Russell Group Universities in the UK. Lifelong friends are certainly made at Queen’s!
So, how are graduates keeping in touch with the world?
We investigated social media usage among participants and found that Facebook was the most popular social media platform; 41% of graduates use the site. 22% of graduates don’t use social media as a way of communicating.
You’ve got mail…
Each year, the University sends alumni The Graduate magazine to tell you about the latest stories and developments, offer exclusive discounts and event invites, and to share your stories with each other. Four in five graduates read their annual graduate magazine; that’s 81% of graduates who engage with the magazine content to some degree. Participants listed good news stories and research impact stories as their top preferences.
For more information about this story, contact Gerry Power today or find out more on the slideshow below...
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