News · November 8, 2026
What the research says about the IB Diploma and Career-related Programmes
The International Baccalaureate has just published Aspiring and achieving, a summary of recent studies on students in the Diploma Programme (DP) and the Career-related Programme (CP). The headline is simple: IB students go on to university, stay there and graduate at notably higher rates than national averages, across very different countries and schools.
Career-related Programme: strong results in the United States
Creation Village is authorized for the IB Career-related Programme, so the CP findings speak directly to our Upper School. In a 2024 study of US graduates, 72% of CP students enrolled in a college or university, compared with 64% nationally. CP students were more likely to return for a second year (81% versus 72%) and to graduate within six years (77% versus 68%).
Students themselves see the value. In a study of CP students in Kent, England, 87% agreed the CP helped them develop academic skills, 82% said it gave them work-based skills and 70% said it helped them grow personally. Among CP alumni there, 55% went on to university, 17% into employment and 16% into apprenticeships, with fewer than 1% unemployed.
Diploma Programme: world-class courses, strong university outcomes
Independent studies comparing DP courses with those of high-performing systems such as Finland, Singapore, Japan and South Korea found the DP offers world-class courses with real depth and breadth. By the end of the programme, 98% of DP students aspire to at least a bachelor's degree.
- United States: 74% of DP students enrolled in university straight after high school (64% nationally), and 86% graduated within six years (68% nationally).
- United Kingdom: DP students were three times as likely as matched A-level students to enrol in a top-20 university, and 40% more likely to earn an honours degree.
- Australia: 98% to 99% of DP students who applied to university received an offer, compared with 87% to 89% of other students.
- Canada: DP students earned higher university grades, were less likely to drop out and were much more likely to enter science programmes.
More than grades
Researchers also found that DP and CP students showed higher levels of global-mindedness than young adults of a similar age in all six countries studied, including the United States. That matches what we hope for in a Creation Village graduate: a person who learns deeply, serves others and sees themselves as part of a wider world.
What this means at Creation Village
Our juniors and seniors in the Career-related Programme already pair IB courses with university and industry partners. We are now a candidate school for the IB Diploma Programme, with our first DP cohort planned for August 2027. Together, the two pathways give every Upper School student a research-backed route to university and to a meaningful career.
Read the full summary on the IB research page, learn more about our Upper School, or book a tour.
Source: International Baccalaureate, Aspiring and achieving: Key findings from DP and CP student research (2026), drawing on Leake and Townsend (2024), Hopfenbeck et al. (2021), Duxbury et al. (2021), Hillman et al. (2024), Davies and Guppy (2022), Gándara et al. (2021) and Ecctis (2023–2025).
