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Do University Rankings Influence Career Outcomes in the Accounting and Auditing Profession?

Author

Listed:
  • Jimu Tafadzwa

    (Department of Accounting and Finance.)

  • Nhorito Shadreck

    (Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University.)

Abstract

The study analysed the impact of university rankings on accounting and auditing graduates’ employability, salary prospects, and professional training prospects in Zimbabwe, focusing on public and private employers, drawing from Human Capital Theory and Signalling Theory. Qualitative methods such as interviews and document analysis were employed to investigate how institutional reputation shaped recruitment prejudices and outcomes. The study sought to enlighten accounting profession educational policy and Zimbabwean employment practice. Among 60 distributed questionnaires, 52 were completed, with a response rate of 86.7%. The results showed a positive significant correlation between graduation from a highly ranked university (e.g., UZ or NUST) and working for elite firms, as 86.2% of the graduates from these institutions found work at firms such as Deloitte and PWC, whereas 39.1% from less-ranked universities found similar employment. Salary data indicated that 72.4% of top-university graduates received between USD 400 and USD 700, and over 69% of lower-ranked university graduates received less than USD 400. Postgraduate training sponsorship too was skewed towards top-university graduates with 65.5% being given further training opportunities compared with 21.7% of their counterparts.The findings statistically validated the study hypotheses and supported Signalling and Human Capital for their theories. Pearson correlation coefficients between career achievement (employment, earnings, and patronage) and university ranking were r = 0.536 to r = 0.642 (p

Suggested Citation

  • Jimu Tafadzwa & Nhorito Shadreck, 2025. "Do University Rankings Influence Career Outcomes in the Accounting and Auditing Profession?," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(5), pages 2627-2643, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-5:p:2627-2643
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1964. "Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, First Edition," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck-5, December.
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