The academic year is not quite in session.
But there is a buzz coming from Australia's universities as thousands of students begin receiving placement offers for the 2019 academic year.
The signs they are going to find employment soon after graduating are looking good.
A survey of over 120,000 university graduates last year, commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education, has found more than seven in ten students gained full-time employment within four months of completing their degree.
It continues the upward trajectory that started in 2014 --- a bounce-back from the global financial crisis.
Federal education minister Dan Tehan says the results show courses are making students job ready.
"These are about employment outcomes for Australian students and for Australian employers and one of the things we're clearly seeing is that universities are aligning those outcomes with the needs of businesses, because businesses are satisfied with the graduates that are coming out and the work they're doing, so this is a great outcome for Australian students, Australian businesses and the Australian economy."
The Acting Chief Executive of Universities Australia, Anne-Marie Lansdown, says the stats show Australian institutions are offering quality education.
"I think what it says about Australian universities is what we have always said, which is we deliver a very high quality, diverse offering that graduates can expect as we have always said, to have better employment outcomes than the general population if they invest in a university degree."
"The sorts of skills taught to graduates now equip them not just for their first job but for all the jobs they hope to have in their life in terms of their generic skills, their analytical skills, their collaboration skills, the broad strategic skills that they'll need to adapt to each of the jobs they might have in their lifetime."
Geoff Adams struggled to find a job after he graduated from an economics and international relations degree in 2011. He and his friends found the situation surprising, and were frustrated by a lack of information to help students. Realising this presented a business opportunity, he co-founded a graduate recruitment service.
"We're just so thrilled that we can now help students that we were once similar to not that long ago, and genuinely help them on that journey to give them a bit more confidence to work out what to do and stay confident and look for opportunities because there are opportunities everywhere.
"It's just those that take those opportunities and work hard that'll break down those barriers and win and go really well."
While the picture is positive overall, there is a disparity in the employment rate according to some courses. Specialist programs in pharmacy and medicine have yielded higher rates of job prospects, at over 90 per cent.
But at the other end creative arts and hospitality hovers around 60 per cent. Those in the recruitment industry say students have a lot of power in their hands.
National accounts director at GradConnect, Daniel Headford, works closely with students and employers.
"So if you can go into a company and show that you have advanced knowledge of the company and what they do, you'll have the front foot there as well.
"Building out your resume is very important, participating in extra-curricular activities, whilst you are at uni, part time work is also extremely valuable while you're at university.
"Participating in clubs, social events, building up your organisational skills, soft skills is super important as well."
