PhD Programmes: Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies among Italy’s top institutions, with 100% employment rate year after graduation and research performance above the national average in all VQR areas
According to the latest AlmaLaurea report, one year after earning their degree, the employment rate of PhD graduates from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies stands at 100%, while three years after graduation it remains at 96.4%. At the same time, ANVUR’s 2020–2024 Research Quality Assessment (VQR) places the scientific output of researchers in training — PhD candidates, research fellows and scholarship holders — above the national average in all seven areas evaluated
One year after obtaining their PhD, 100% of graduates from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies are employed; three years after graduation, the employment rate remains at 96.4%.
These outstanding career outcomes are matched by excellent results in ANVUR’s 2020–2024 Research Quality Assessment (VQR): the scientific output of the School’s researchers in training — PhD candidates, research fellows and scholarship holders who have not yet entered permanent academic positions — ranks well above the national average in all seven evaluated areas.
The data come from the new AlmaLaurea Report on PhD programmes, which analysed the educational and professional trajectories of 9,405 PhD graduates from 50 Italian universities, and from ANVUR’s 2020–2024 Research Quality Assessment (VQR). In particular, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies ranks first in Italy in the field of Economics and Statistics for research quality.
AlmaLaurea Report: Employment and Net Monthly Salaries Above the National Average
The most significant finding of the new AlmaLaurea report concerns employment one year after graduation: the employment rate of Sant’Anna PhD graduates reaches 100%, compared with a national average of 94.1%.
The School also records results above the national average in terms of earnings. The average net monthly salary is €2,178, compared with €1,984 at the national level.
The perceived usefulness of the PhD experience is also remarkably high: 94.6% of Sant’Anna PhD graduates consider their degree to be highly effective or effective for their professional activity, compared with a national average of 76%.
The results remain highly positive when considering employment outcomes three years after completing the PhD programme, with an employment rate of 96.4%.
VQR Results: High Research Quality Across All Evaluated Areas
These employment outcomes are complemented by a second major recognition from ANVUR’s 2020–2024 Research Quality Assessment (VQR), which for the first time evaluated separately the scientific output of so-called “researchers in training” — PhD candidates, research fellows and scholarship holders who have not yet been appointed to permanent research positions.
The 76 research outputs submitted by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies performed above the national average in all seven evaluated areas. The most outstanding result was achieved in Economics and Statistics, where the School ranked first in Italy among 39 institutions, with an R3 index of 1.35, corresponding to a performance 35% above the national average for the discipline.
Strong performances were also recorded in Industrial and Information Engineering (third out of 50 institutions), Lawand Biological Sciences (fourth out of 49 and 52 institutions respectively), and Business and Management Studies(fourth out of 40 institutions).
