Deakin Alumni Survey 2012: The Results

In August 2012 the Deakin Alumni Central Alumni Office completed the triennial Deakin Alumni Survey.

Some 2600 Deakin alumni submitted a survey response which equated to a statistically robust 9% of the total population of alumni surveyed.  Respondent statistics were:

• 57.3% were female and 42.7% male
• 72.1% were aged 50 or under
• 91.2% were graduates of Deakin
• 11.3% were living overseas with 19.9% interstate and 68.8% in Victoria
• 56.8% had graduated from, or worked at Deakin since 2000
• 0.8% had graduated or worked at a Deakin antecedent institution
• 38.2% were Alumni members of at least one other tertiary institution
• 20.7% also have a family member who graduated from, or worked at Deakin
• The top 5 fields of employment of respondents were: Business, Education and Training, Medical and Health Services, Government and IT
• 69.5% said their field of employment reflected their study area
• 56.3% had completed at least one postgraduate degree

Key findings from the survey were:

Further study

• 45% of respondents were interested in undertaking further study in the future
• 66% of respondents indicated they would be more likely than not to undertake postgraduate study with Deakin in the future with 20% undecided
• 52.5% of respondents said they would likely undertake further study with Deakin if a course subsidy was offered, dependent upon the percentage of subsidy offered

Connection to Deakin

• 73.1% of respondents said they felt either somewhat connected, reasonably connected or very connected to Deakin
• In the past 12 months, 89.6% of respondents indicated they had read an email from Deakin, 58% had read a printed publication, 39.8% had downloaded content from the Deakin website, 17.8% had attended a Deakin event, 20.2% had utilised the Deakin Library and 9.8% had attended an Alumni event

Engagement with Deakin

• 75.2% of respondents indicated they were open to greater engagement with Deakin University with location and work commitments being the main barrier for not being more actively engaged
• 68% of respondents indicated continued learning and intellectual stimulation was the main contributor as to them wanting to remain engaged with Deakin
• The main areas that respondents indicated they would most likely become more engaged in the future were: participating in surveys and focus groups, attending alumni events and mentoring current students
• 79.4% of respondents indicated they have not and/or will not financially contribute to Deakin in the past or in the future
• For those alumni who indicated they would contribute financially to Deakin in the future, research was the most popular area of potential support

Strengths of a Deakin education

• 66.7% identified Deakin's strength as being in flexible course delivery, 52.1% accredited and rated with 41.8% contemporary and relevant

How you want Deakin to communicate with you

• 75% prefer email communication, with 13.5% preferring mail, 1.1% social media and 0.3% SMS
• 9.4% preferred a combination of all four formats
• 47% preferred monthly communications from Deakin, with 24.4% preferring quarterly contact
• Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn were overwhelingly the most utilised forms of social media channels by Alumni
• 25% of Alumni indicated they were members of at least one Deakin social media channel
• The most important Deakin news areas of interest for Alumni were: Alumni benefits and special offers, course news and scholarships and research projects
• 59.4% of Alumni rated the Deakin Alumni website as being in the good-excellent range, with 34.5% indicating that they had not visited the site
• 73.9% rated Deakin Alumni services in the somewhat satisfied - very satisfied range
• 87.7% rated Deakin's Alumni communications in the good-excellent range
• 73.9% rated their satisfaction with Deakin's Alumni services and benefits in the somewhat satisfied - very satisfied range
• The most important Alumni services and benefits that Deakin can offer members were: career and support services, postgraduate fee discounts, ongoing Deakin Library access and professional development and networking opportunities
• 38.7% of Alumni indicated they would be probably - extremely likely to use a continuing Deakin email address after graduation

For any inquiries regarding the Deakin Alumni Survey email the Deakin Central Alumni Office at deakinalumni@deakin.edu.au. 

 

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