What are the graduation rates across OECD countries?

A comprehensive understanding of the current graduation patterns, helps experts analyses and better anticipate the flow of new-tertiary educated workers into the labor force. The  tertiary education, from an equity perspective have two end-results related to it. These are the  labor market outcomes and the  social outcomes. A  graduation rate  represents the estimated percentage of people who will be graduating from a specific level of education  (primary, secondary, upper-secondary, non-tertiary and tertiary)  over a period of their lifetime. The estimate is based on the year of calculation and the age-specific distribution of graduates. Therefore, any changes in the patterns of systems, such as introduction of new programs and variations, is reflected in the graduation rates across the world.

According to the  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development  data, the trends in the tertiary education has shifted tremendously in the member-states. There is marketing of higher education, international mobility of students, higher number of women graduates at tertiary levels and the evolution of the fields of study and research. These depict the change in preferences of the students and researchers these days, whereas also the concerns experienced in the global economy and labor market competitiveness.

The key findings of the report on OECD countries state, that the highest share of graduates across tertiary education programs, complete these in the  Business, Administration and Law. Countries like  Korea and Portugal  have the highest number of tertiary graduates in  Engineering, Manufacturing, and Construction.  In the cases of  Belgium, Norway, Finland and Sweden,  the domain of  Health and Welfare, reveal the largest share of tertiary graduates. The  United States and Saudi Arabia  have the most share of tertiary students in  Arts and Humanities.  These varying numbers in the type of degree pursued, can be explained by the  structure of education systems, as well as the kind of  institutions offering qualifications  in the field of study. In most OECD countries, the percentage of students graduating from  STEM  subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)  are relatively lower than those graduating from Law, Business and Administration.

Another striking observation made by the OECD data, is that there exists a pattern of  gender imbalance. Certain fields of study do not attract female population and does not account for higher percentage of graduate rates. These patterns show the limit from the effect of social perceptions on the choice of occupations and implies translated imbalances in the labor market. This further has economic repercussions, as shown by evidences of GDP gains from more equal participation of male and female workers.

The tertiary education is inclusive of degrees at three levels:  bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and short-cycle tertiary diplomas. It is the bachelor’s degree and equivalent degrees that are obtained often by the first-time graduates in the OECD countries.  Austria and Russia, have the highest percentage of  short-cycle diplomas  and  master’s degree  respectively. These differences are prevalent due to the structure of tertiary systems and the resultant incentive from the obtained degree. The OECD countries have also exhibited concern towards the length of the time taken by the tertiary students, to complete their education. In the backdrop of this, policies have been formulated to foster the student to graduate quickly and transit to the labor force. The average age at which most students graduate is a result of the combination of the  average entry age  and  duration of the program  being pursued.

Access to tertiary education is a pointer to the state’s capacity in providing the future labor workforce, with advanced and specialized skill set and knowledge. The incentives from the tertiary education like higher salaries and employment prospects thrusts the students to take up tertiary degrees. Despite the rising costs to an individual, the imparting of tertiary education still remains the prime public enterprise for the member states of the OECD countries.

Below given table mentions the graduation rates across OECD countries:

Know more:

• Top 10 countries with lowest levels of primary education
• Gross enrolment ratios in primary education

• Percentage of out-of-school children in primary school age
• Percentage of women teachers in secondary education

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