Degrees Aren’t Enough: How Universities Can Build More Inclusive Career Pathways

More people are entering higher education than ever before. But a degree alone cannot guarantee that graduates will find stable, rewarding work—and for students facing financial, social or accessibility barriers, the path from campus to career can be especially steep. The challenge for universities is no longer only helping students graduate. It is ensuring they have a fair chance to turn their education into opportunity.

A February 2025 update from UNESCO’s International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) puts that challenge in sharp relief. Global higher education enrollment rose from 19% in 2000 to 43% in 2023, while the global graduation rate increased from 17% to 26%. The figures point to a widening need: higher education systems must support students not only into university, but through it and toward meaningful employment.

The growing gap between degrees and jobs

Employers’ needs can change faster than university curricula. Digital capabilities, for example, are in demand across many sectors, yet programs may take time to adapt. When course content and workplace expectations diverge, graduates can leave with qualifications that do not fully match available roles.

The problem is not simply a matter of individual skills. In some countries, economic growth has not kept pace with the number of graduates, limiting the supply of quality jobs. The result can be underemployment—when graduates work in roles that do not use their qualifications—or difficulty finding stable work at all. That disconnect can weaken public confidence in higher education and limit its potential to support social mobility.

Employability is more than a curriculum update

Governments are increasingly treating employability as a higher education priority. UNESCO IESALC reports that roughly 70% of national higher education plans now highlight it. Universities are responding in several ways: updating curricula, introducing practical learning, strengthening career services and helping students explore entrepreneurship and changing forms of work.

Internships and cooperative education can help students apply classroom learning, build experience and meet employers. Career advisers can help them identify strengths, prepare applications and plan next steps. Partnerships with industry can also give institutions a clearer view of changing skill requirements.

These efforts matter, but employability should not be reduced to a checklist of generic “job-ready” skills. Institutions need to connect learning with real opportunities while recognizing that students do not all have equal access to the experiences and networks that make a difference.

Why access to career-building experiences is unequal

Students from low-income backgrounds, refugees, Indigenous students, first-generation college students and students with disabilities may encounter barriers that their peers are less likely to face. These obstacles can include limited finances, discrimination, inaccessible services and fewer professional connections.

Consider an unpaid internship: it may open doors in a particular field, but taking it can be impossible for someone who needs paid work to cover living costs. A first-generation student may have fewer informal connections to professionals who can explain hiring practices or recommend a first opportunity. Students with disabilities may encounter career events, workplaces or application processes that are not accessible. Addressing these barriers requires more than offering the same service to everyone.

Design support around students’ real circumstances

A more inclusive approach brings career services together with academic departments, student support teams and employers. Universities can consider practical steps such as expanding paid placements, building structured mentorship and networking opportunities, ensuring career resources are accessible, and preparing employers to recruit and support a diverse workforce.

Support should also be tailored rather than one-size-fits-all. That means listening to students about the barriers they encounter, making services easy to find and use, and checking whether programs are reaching the people they were designed to serve. Partnerships with employers are most effective when they create accessible, substantive routes into work—not simply short-term exposure to it.

In February 2025, UNESCO IESALC and the Lumina Foundation announced plans for a report highlighting 15 innovative and inclusive university initiatives. The examples are intended to support students from groups including low-income communities, refugee populations, Indigenous communities and students with disabilities as they transition into the workforce. The announcement underscores a broader shift: employability strategies need to account for equity as well as skills.

Measure success beyond graduation

Universities cannot control every condition in the labor market. They can, however, examine whether students have access to relevant learning, paid experience, effective guidance and employer connections—and whether those opportunities are distributed fairly. Tracking outcomes across student groups can help institutions identify where support is working and where gaps remain.

The central question is not just how many students earn degrees, but what opportunities those degrees make possible. As higher education continues to expand, institutions have a chance to make the transition from study to work more practical and more equitable. That requires employers, policymakers and universities to work together—and to ask whose pathways are still being left out.