With EUROGRADUATE 2026, the European-wide survey of higher education graduates enters its next round, covering 17 countries. The project is coordinated by the European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO), a central platform that brings together data, indicators, and analyses on higher education systems across Europe. In line with the past rounds, the survey aims to collect comparable evidence on graduate outcomes and skills use at a European level.
In this context, EUROGRADUATE 2026 Germany is responsible for conducting the survey in Germany and thus provides comparable, high-quality data for the overall project. The data collection is based on the nationwide graduate survey of the DZHW’s Student Life Cycle Panel (SLC), which repeatedly surveys both, school leavers and higher education graduates about their educational and professional trajectories.
In line with the methodology of the SLC and EUROGRADUATE 2026, the German survey targets graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree one and five years after graduation from a German higher education institution. Data collection will take place in autumn/winter 2026. Due to the high consistency of target population, survey content, methodology, and timing, EUROGRADUATE 2026 Germany constitutes a strong example of how comparable data can be generated using existing research infrastructure. The German data will be integrated into the international EUROGRADUATE dataset and results at country level made available via different publication formats of EHESO or DZHW.
EUROGRADUATE 2026 Germany will cover a broad range of relevant topics:
