1.1.2 Data collection The main collection periods were November to December 2020 and May to July 2021, with a smaller collection taking place in February to April 2021. The February collection is undertaken to accommodate institutions with August to October 2020 completions. For reporting purposes, the November and February collection period outcomes are reported together. The survey was fielded primarily online, in English only. All completing respondents were entered into a four-week rolling prize draw in each round of the 2021 GOS collection cycle. The prize pool totalled $27,000 in the November round, $37,000 in the May round, and $6,000 in the February. The total prize pools for each collection aimed to reflect the proportion of sample in each round of the collection year. A broad range of promotional materials were provided to institutions to raise awareness of the GOS and encourage participation amongst the target population. The contact strategy for the 2021 GOS featured an email invitation to complete the survey, followed by nine reminder emails, up to two SMS reminders, as well as in field telephone reminder calls. Several institutions also commissioned post-fieldwork telephone reminder calls to boost participation, which extended data collection for these institutions approximately two weeks post main collection. Refer to the 2021 GOS Methodological Report for further information on target population definition, sample design and preparation, survey design and procedures, response maximisation strategies, data preparation processes, final field outcomes and response analysis. A copy of the generic survey instrument (i.e., excluding any institution specific items) and screenshots of the survey are included in the 2021 GOS Methodological Report and a summary of items is available in Appendix 3 of this report. 1.2 Response rate by course level Table 18 provides the final response rate by course level and institution for each round of the 2021 GOS collection cycle. Postgraduate research graduates had the highest overall response rate of 63.8 per cent, followed by postgraduate coursework graduates with 33.0 per cent, and undergraduates with 32.2 per cent. Some variation by institution type for each course level can be seen, with larger differences noted for postgraduate coursework and postgraduate research graduates. Table 18 2021 GOS response rate by course level, international graduates 2 2020 November 2021 May 2021 Total collection Project element Universities NUHEIs Total Universities NUHEIs Total Universities NUHEIs Total Undergraduate 30.1% 32.5% 30.5% 33.2% 36.7% 33.6% 31.9% 34.2% 32.2% Postgraduate coursework 32.4% 37.4% 33.1% 32.0% 46.7% 32.8% 32.2% 39.7% 33.0% Postgraduate research 62.9% 0.0% 62.9% 65.4% 66.7% 65.4% 63.8% 50.0% 63.8% 2 Includes February supplementary round outcomes 2021 GOS International Report 26