Graduate students’ career aspirations: insights into influencing factors and expectations

Career decision-making represents a critical transition point for graduate students, particularly in contexts where misalignment between higher education outcomes and labor market opportunities persists. Despite increasing concerns regarding graduate employability, limited empirical research has examined how multiple factors jointly shape graduate students’ career aspirations, especially in developing countries. This study addresses this gap by investigating the determinants influencing graduate students’ preferences for academic versus non-academic career pathways. The study draws on cross-sectional survey data collected from 464 final-year graduate students enrolled in public and private universities. A binary logistic regression model is employed to examine the influence of individual characteristics, family background, training experiences, academic discipline, and job related attributes on career choice. The findings indicate that a slight majority of graduate students express a preference for academic careers at the final stage of their studies, although career expectations evolve over time. Intrinsic motivation, supervisory support, and perceived opportunities for career development emerge as significant factors increasing the likelihood of choosing academic careers. In contrast, higher income expectations are associated with a stronger inclination toward non-academic career pathways. The results further reveal observable differences across gender and academic disciplines in shaping career preferences. These findings underline the importance of strengthening institutional support mechanisms, particularly mentorship and career guidance, to facilitate informed career decision-making. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of career development processes in higher education and highlights the need to better align graduate outcomes with evolving labor market demands.