International graduates report earning lower median annual full-time salaries than their domestic peers, especially at the postgraduate coursework level, according to the 2026 longitudinal Graduate Outcomes Survey released last week. The gap between domestic and international graduate salaries also widens from the short- to medium-term.
Three years after graduation, international postgraduate coursework graduates reported a median annual full-time salary of $86,000, compared with $120,000 for domestic graduates – a gap of $34,000. International undergraduate graduates earned $85,000 compared with $93,500 for domestic graduates, while international postgraduate research graduates earned $112,000 compared with $125,000.
International postgraduate coursework graduates earned almost the same as international undergraduates in both the short- and medium-term, with the report suggesting they continue to experience “difficulty in translating their higher qualification into higher earnings 3 years after course completion”.
The Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal (GOS-L), a component of the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey suite, reports medium-term labour market and further study outcomes for higher education graduates three years after finishing their degree. In 2026, more than 43,000 graduates from 125 higher education institutions participated in the GOS-L. Results for international graduates include those living in Australia and overseas, except for median salaries which are reported only for international graduates working in Australia.
Postgraduate research graduates reported the smallest employment differences between domestic and international graduates over the medium-term. Full-time employment rates for international research graduates were only 1.5 percentage points lower, while the figure was 7.7 percentage points lower for international undergraduates and 7.6 percentage points lower for postgraduate coursework graduates.
International postgraduate research graduates were also slightly more likely than domestic graduates to be employed in managerial or professional occupations (94% compared with 93.6%), despite reporting lower median salaries.
Profile of international graduates
The report notes several differences between domestic and international graduate profiles that it says may help explain variations in employment and salary outcomes.
- International graduates were predominantly postgraduate coursework graduates, compared with domestic graduates who were predominantly undergraduates.
- Postgraduate research graduates accounted for 16.3% of international graduates, compared with 5.5% of domestic graduates.
- International graduates were generally younger, particularly at postgraduate coursework level, where almost half were aged 30 or under, compared with around one in five domestic graduates.
- China, India and Nepal accounted for the majority of international undergraduate and postgraduate coursework graduates.
International graduates were also concentrated in a relatively small number of study areas. Business and management, computing and information systems, engineering and nursing accounted for half of international undergraduate and postgraduate coursework graduates. At postgraduate research level, engineering and science and mathematics accounted for half of international graduates.
The report is available here.
