Graduate Employment Outcomes 2026
We present the ninth edition of the graduate employment outcomes study for bachelor's degree holders in the Catalan university system, prepared by AQU Catalunya with the aim of analysing graduates’ transition into the labour market and providing evidence to support the improvement of degree programmes and university policies. The report offers a comprehensive overview of graduate employment outcomes, addressing aspects such as access to employment, job quality, the suitability of university education, and differences according to field of knowledge, sex and other personal characteristics.
The study is based on the responses of 25,971 graduates from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the largest sample of all editions. For the first time, it also includes graduates from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, making it possible to provide a comprehensive view of the Catalan university system. In addition, this edition includes a specific analysis of the employment outcomes of double degree graduates, making it possible to explore the added value of these studies in terms of employment and satisfaction with the education received.
Analysis and results
Report
Graduate employment outcomes at Catalan universities (July 2026)
Webinar presenting the study
Indicators
EUC Dades website. Survey results compared by institutions offering the degree programme.
Key findings
- University studies continue to be a very good investment
Three years after graduation, 90.4% of graduates are employed and not only have jobs: they work mainly in qualified positions related to their studies.
- More stable and better-paid jobs, but with less purchasing power
Job quality has improved, mainly due to increased contractual stability: nearly 7 out of 10 bachelor's degree holders have permanent contracts, a widespread increase probably linked to the 2022 labour reform.
Nominal salaries have risen at all three levels, but the accumulated inflation of recent years has eroded purchasing power: graduates have still not regained the purchasing power they had in 2011. Significant differences between disciplines also persist: at bachelor's degree level, the average salary in Engineering exceeds that in Humanities by 774 euros per month, with Humanities consistently showing the most moderate results across the three educational levels.
- Does university prepare students well for the labour market?
All three studies agree: the answer is yes, increasingly so.
At bachelor's degree level, assessment of the education received achieves the best results in the historical series for virtually all competences. The most symbolic milestone is English: for the first time, graduates give a passing mark to the English-language training they received.
- Is it worthwhile? Satisfaction grows with educational level
Job satisfaction is high and the vast majority would choose the same studies again. The intention to repeat also increases with educational level, from 71% among bachelor's degree holders to 81.6% among doctoral graduates.
- What is new in this edition
Double degrees: double value?
For the first time, the study analyses double degree graduates. They tend to have better employment outcomes and a higher level of suitability than graduates with a single degree. However, only one third perform functions specific to both qualifications: a double degree guarantees employment aligned with the degree, but both profiles are rarely fully utilised at the same time.
Technical characteristics
Fieldwork: November-December 2025 in the online phase and January-February 2026 in the telephone phase.
Participating universities: UB, UAB, UPC, UPF, UdG, UdL, URV, URL, UOC, UVic-UCC, UIC, UAO CEU.
Reference population and sample: The reference population consists of 45,143 graduates and the sample of 25,971. The cohorts analysed correspond to people who graduated in the 2021-2022 academic year (2022-2023 cohort only for strata with <65 cases). For Medicine, the cohorts included are those from 2018-2019.
Data protection policy:
See the information on the origin and use of personal data from AQU Catalunya's graduate employment outcomes survey