Accessing the Employer Reputation Dataset
From the platform home screen, you can access the Employer Reputation dataset in two ways:
Select Employer Reputation under Institutional Performance, or
Use the left-hand navigation menu to open the dataset directly.
When you first open the dataset, you’ll see a top-down view displaying the Employer Reputation Index—the average ranking from the QS Employer Reputation Survey.
Here, you can compare your institution’s results against selected benchmark peers over the past ten years.
Viewing Highlights
To view University-level details, select the Highlights Report.
This report provides an overview of reputational insights for your chosen institution across key subject areas. On the left, you’ll find highlights for specific subjects (for example, Business and Management Studies), and towards the right, you can view rankings within broader subject areas such as Social Sciences and Management or Engineering and Technology.
Scrolling reveals the total number of respondents by subject, showing where nomination volumes are highest. This gives a quick indication of which subject areas are most prominent in employer feedback.
Exploring Subject-Level Trends
For more granular insights, navigate to the Subject drop-down menu at the top of the page. Several reports are available here, including:
1. Subject Grid
The Subject Grid displays a matrix of line graphs, each representing a broad subject area (e.g. Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology).
Each graph shows:
Historical ranking trends
Total nominations received
Domestic vs international nominations
Your selected institution appears in bold colour, while benchmarking peers are shown for comparison. You can also switch between different peer lists — either a QS-curated list or a custom peer list you’ve created.
2. Subject Tree Map
Next, the Subject Tree Map offers a visual breakdown of broader subject areas, showing which fields are most frequently nominated for producing reliable graduates.
Each square represents a subject:
The colour indicates the broader subject category
The size of each square corresponds to the number of nominations
For example, Business and Management Studies might appear as a larger block due to higher nomination volume.
To refine your analysis, use the subject drop-down menu in the top-right corner to focus on a particular field, such as Arts and Humanities.
You can then drill down into specific disciplines (for example, Art and Design) to view detailed nomination data.
You can also filter by respondent region (e.g. Europe and Central Asia) to see how regional employer perceptions vary — this dynamically updates the data displayed.
3. Subject Columns
Finally, the Subject Columns view allows you to see how your institution’s employer reputation ranks across subjects using bar graphs.
Each bar represents a subject or broader field, showing your institution’s position relative to peers.
Switching to Subject Landscape lets you view all courses and their subjects side by side, making it easier to compare or analyse subjects across different subject areas.