Australian graduate salaries are not a single number. The most useful way to read them is by time since graduation: the first year after finishing a degree, the fifth year, and the ninth year. Each point answers a different question about earning power, and each comes from a different survey with a different scope. The official public source for this data is QILT, the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching, published by the Australian Government and searchable through the ComparED website.
This article explains what the three time points show, why the figures are not a promise about any individual graduate, and how to check the data yourself.
What the QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey Measures
The Graduate Outcomes Survey, or GOS, is the survey behind the short-term salary figures. It is run nationally and covers graduates who completed a qualification in the previous year. The survey asks about employment status, labour force participation, and, for those in full-time work, their annual salary.
The key figure most people quote is the median annual full-time salary. A median means the middle value: half of the surveyed graduates in that group earn more, half earn less. It is not an average, so a small number of very high earners does not pull it upward.
GOS is a sample survey, not a census. Every point estimate comes with a confidence interval, usually shown as a 90 percent confidence interval. That interval tells you the range within which the true value is likely to sit, given the sample size and response rate. When you see a salary quoted as 73,100 dollars with a confidence interval of 72,600 to 73,500, the correct reading is that the survey estimates the median at 73,100, and the statistical uncertainty around that estimate is expressed by the interval.
Because GOS covers graduates one year after completion, it is the closest thing to an entry-level salary measure. It is also the figure most often used in university comparisons, because it is broken down by institution and by study area.
What the Five-Year and Nine-Year Figures Show
The longer-term picture comes from the Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal, often shortened to GOS-L. This survey follows a cohort of graduates over time. It re-contacts the same people who completed a qualification in a given year, then surveys them again at roughly three years, five years, and nine years after graduation.
The longitudinal survey answers a different question from the one-year GOS. Instead of asking what a new graduate earns, it asks how earnings change as a graduate gains work experience, changes jobs, moves into management, or undertakes further study. The five-year figure is therefore a better indicator of early-career progression, and the nine-year figure is a better indicator of established earning capacity.
There is an important distinction between the two surveys. The one-year GOS is refreshed every year with a new cohort. The longitudinal GOS follows a fixed cohort, so the five-year and nine-year results refer to people who graduated in a specific earlier year, not to the most recent graduates. You cannot read the three time points as if they describe the same group of people at different ages. They describe different cohorts measured at different stages.
Why the Salary Figures Are Not a Guarantee
Every figure published by QILT is a group statistic. It describes the median outcome for a defined population of graduates in a defined year. It does not describe what any individual graduate will earn, and it does not describe what a graduate from a particular course will earn unless you are looking at a course-level breakdown.
Several factors affect the numbers. The mix of study areas within an institution matters. A university with a large proportion of nursing or teaching graduates will show a different salary profile from one with many engineering or commerce graduates. The location of employment matters, because salaries in major cities tend to be higher than in regional areas. The proportion of graduates who go on to further study also matters, because those graduates are not in full-time work and are therefore excluded from the full-time salary measure.
The employment rate figures are just as important as the salary figures. A high median salary means little if a large share of graduates are not in full-time work. QILT publishes full-time employment rate, overall employment rate, and labour force participation rate alongside salary. When comparing institutions, you should look at all four measures together.
How to Check the Data on ComparED
ComparED is the public search tool for QILT data. It is run by the Australian Government and is the official place to look up graduate outcomes by institution and by study area. The site allows you to filter by university, by field of education, and by level of study.
When you open ComparED, you will see that the data is presented with confidence intervals. The site also includes a help section explaining how the data is collected and how to interpret the measures. That help section is worth reading before you draw conclusions from any single number.
To verify a salary figure, follow these steps. First, select the institution you are interested in. Second, choose the level of study, such as undergraduate. Third, select the indicator you want, such as median annual full-time salary. Fourth, note the reference year, because the data is updated annually and figures from different years are not directly comparable. Fifth, check the confidence interval, because a narrow interval means the estimate is more precise, while a wide interval means the estimate is based on a smaller sample.
You can also look at the QILT website itself for the survey methodology. The data processing and procedures page explains how responses are weighted, how non-response is handled, and how the confidence intervals are calculated. Understanding that methodology helps you judge how much weight to put on a particular figure.
What the Data Does Not Tell You
QILT data is about employment outcomes, not about the quality of a course or the experience of studying at a particular institution. A high salary figure does not mean a course is better. It means that, among the graduates who responded to the survey and who were in full-time employment, the middle salary was at that level.
The data also does not tell you about the cost of living in the area where graduates work. A salary of 75,000 dollars in a regional town goes further than the same salary in central Sydney. If you are comparing institutions in different states, you should factor in living costs separately.
Another limitation is that the data is self-reported. Graduates report their own salary, and some may not report accurately. The survey methodology accounts for this as far as possible, but it remains a survey of what people say they earn, not a check of payroll records.
How to Use the Three Time Points in Practice
If you are choosing a course or an institution, the one-year GOS figure is the most relevant starting point. It tells you what recent graduates in that field typically earn in their first full-time job. It is also the most current figure, because it is refreshed annually.
The five-year figure is useful if you are thinking about career progression. It shows whether graduates in a particular field tend to move into higher-paying roles over time. Some fields start lower but climb steeply, while others start higher but plateau.
The nine-year figure is the longest-term measure available. It is the closest thing to a mid-career salary indicator in the public data. It is also the least current, because it refers to a cohort that graduated nine years ago. The labour market has changed since then, so the nine-year figure is best used as a general indication of long-term earning potential rather than a forecast.
A Note on the Data Sources
The figures in this article come from the QILT surveys, which are the official Australian Government source for graduate employment outcomes. The one-year data comes from the Graduate Outcomes Survey. The longer-term data comes from the Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal. Both are published on the QILT website and searchable through ComparED.
The data was checked on 7 September 2026. QILT updates its figures regularly, so you should always check the current release before making decisions based on a specific number. The official websites are the only authoritative source for the latest data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the QILT salary data a census or a survey?
It is a survey. QILT surveys a sample of graduates rather than every graduate. The published figures include confidence intervals to show the statistical uncertainty around each estimate.
Can I compare salary figures from different years?
Not directly. Each year's GOS covers a different cohort of graduates. The labour market changes over time, so a salary figure from 2023 and one from 2025 are not measuring the same conditions. Always check the reference year before comparing.
Does the salary figure include part-time workers?
No. The median annual full-time salary is calculated only for graduates who are in full-time employment. Part-time workers, casual workers, and those not in the labour force are excluded from this measure. That is why the employment rate figures matter as well.
What is a confidence interval?
A confidence interval is a range around an estimate. A 90 percent confidence interval means that, if the survey were repeated many times, the true value would fall within that range in 90 percent of repetitions. A wider interval indicates less precision, usually because the sample is smaller.
Where can I find the data for a specific course?
ComparED allows you to filter by field of education. You can select a study area and see the employment outcomes for graduates in that field. Course-level data is available where the sample size is large enough to produce reliable estimates.