London June 12th
Around a third of
graduates currently support or are keen to support their university
At a time when Universities are having to compete far more
aggressively for students and top research staff, the need to generate funds to
improve the facilities on offer, improve their ‘brand’ and move higher in the
league tables continues to grow.
Most universities have now established departments charged
with developing links with former students and much greater effort is put into
building up alumni events and activities.
Research by Financial & Business research consultancy
JGFR has found around a third of the country’s 12 million graduates actively
support their University* or would welcome the chance to be involved with
alumni activities.
League Table Status important for nearly 2 in 5 graduates.
Other findings in the research, based on a sample of some
500 graduates from GfK NOP**, found that 28% of graduates have regular contact
from the alumni organisation of their university and 38% believe it is
important to see their university maintain/improve its league table status.
Not all graduates have the affinity or desire to retain
links with their past. A third of graduates have no interest in future support
of their university while around a quarter have no view on current or future
university affinity, engagement or contact.
Younger graduates perhaps unsurprisingly are more likely to
support or want to see their university maintain/improve its league table
status.
More high income graduate households currently support/expect to support their university
Alumni offices keen to identify their better off graduates
appear to have their targeting right – 38% of graduate households in the
highest household income band (£50,000 and above) support or are interested in
their university – above the 33% average and alongside recent graduates the
most likely to be supporters.
Regionally, graduates living in Northern Ireland and the South West show most affinity and are most likely to support their university. Graduates living in Scotland and the East Midlands have the least affinity and are least likely to give support.
Commented John Gilbert:
“With Universities increasingly dependent on alternative funding sources far greater attention is being placed on the growing numbers of alumni to provide financial support. This research provides evidence of the degree to which alumni have been and are keen to help and to the work alumni offices still need to do in re-engaging with their former students. Among the social networking savvy younger generation, and to a lesser extent their parents, greater involvement in events and activities with their former university are likely to lead to the emergence of a new and commercially attractive market segment “
‘Alumni engagement 2007/8’ examines the rise of
alumni offices on campuses, the scope of alumni offices activities, the need
for alternate funding sources and the attitude among a representative sample of
graduates towards their university using survey data reported in this News
Release.
For further details of the report contact info@jgfr.co.uk or ring 0208 944 7510.
*The survey assumes most people only have one university.
** Sub-sample of 495 graduates taken from a nationally representative of 2,003 adults aged 16+ by GfK NOP undertaken between 30 November – 9 December 2007