What do students earn after their tertiary education?

What Do Students Earn After Their Tertiary Educati…
01 Sep 2009
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This report looks at the group of nearly 30,000 young domestic students who last enrolled in a tertiary education provider in 2003, and examines the influence of their tertiary education on their earnings in the first year following study and three years post-study.

Key Results

For young domestic students last enrolled in tertiary education in 2003, median annual three-year post-study earnings were:

  • 51 percent higher for those with a bachelor’s degree compared with those with a level 1 to 3 (upper-secondary level equivalent) certificate.
  • 30 percent higher for those with a bachelor’s degree compared with those with a diploma.
  • 16 percent higher for those with a diploma compared with those with a level 1 to 3 certificate.
  • 16 percent higher for those with a master’s degree compared with those with a bachelor’s.
  • 46 percent higher for those with a doctorate compared with those with a bachelor’s.

Completing a bachelor’s degree matters. Young students who completed their degreeearned 29 percent more than those young students who left without completing their degree

Page last modified: 11 Jul 2023