The number of tertiary-level graduates increased by 11.4% to 4,580 during the academic year 2016-2017 over the previous academic year, according to the latest figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
The largest share of tertiary graduates (54.7%) received a first-degree qualification at the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level 6 — Bachelor’s degree or equivalent level. In addition, 1,300 graduates completed their qualification at ISCED level 7 — Master’s or equivalent.
Numbers of graduates grew by 5.7% to 720 in ISCED level 5 — Short cycle tertiary education — and by 45.9% to 54 in ISCED level 8 — Doctoral or equivalent —, compared to the previous academic year.
Women (2,513) outnumbered men (2,067) at all levels of tertiary education.
The majority of tertiary-level graduates were aged between 20-24 (66%), followed by those within the 25-29 age bracket.
During the academic year 2016-2017, 78.2% of graduates were enrolled on a full-time basis education while those graduating from a part-time course increased by 15.1% over the previous academic year. Of these students, 46% attained a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.
Furthermore, foreign graduates totalled 343, equivalent to 7.5% of total tertiary-level graduates, with the majority being non-EU nationals.
In addition, business, administration and law was the most popular field of study among graduates, accounting for 31.7% of all tertiary-level graduates. It was followed by graduates in health and welfare, as well as arts and humanities.
The full report with charts and tables available for download at the NSO website.