New report shows majority of 2015 class are employed; especially for those in one specific area of study.
In the echoes of poor employment rates upon graduation that have spurred colleges and universities to reimagine and reinvest how they help their graduates enter into a career, a new report on the class of 2015 may just signal the light at the end of a turbulent storm.
According to a new report released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a majority of the class of 2015 are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation, far outpacing 2014’s graduates.
The report, Class of 2015 First-Destination Survey [1], based on a national survey of 279 colleges and universities nation-wide (representing nearly half a million graduates), aims to provide clear, concise and consistent data on the outcomes associated with a college education on a national scale. Data included that of 2015 graduates that had an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees.
Overall, data was reported for nearly 244,000 bachelor’s degree graduates in 34 broad disciplines and 185 majors, making this study the most comprehensive view of bachelor’s degree outcomes available, said NACE in a press release.
The class of 2015 report also revealed another finding—one that could be surmised from a science boom and push throughout the U.S., but finally has concrete backing: Graduates studying the computer sciences enjoyed the highest full-time employment rate at 76 percent.
However, employment rates for Engineering dropped compared to the class of 2014 (see page 2).
“The second annual First-Destination Survey provides an early look at the future of America’s workforce and the future is bright for the Class of 2015,” said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director, in a statement. “We are glad to include even more graduates in the survey this year. The outcomes for individual classes are important, but the survey will continue to reveal meaningful trends over time, which will be especially significant for public policy makers, business and industry leaders, the higher education community, and all those focused on the value of higher education and a competitive and innovative U.S. labor force.”
(Next page: 6 more stunning facts on the class of 2015’s employment)
According to NACE’s class of 2015 report:
- 4 percent of 2015 bachelor’s degree graduates were employed full time, while 17.7 percent had been accepted into graduate or professional school, and 6 percent were working part time.
- 2015 bachelor’s degree graduates outpaced their 2014 counterparts in securing full-time employment and continuing education. In fact, a greater percentage of 2015 graduates “landed” successfully than those who graduated in 2014; fewer 2015 graduates were working part time, still seeking employment, or still seeking continuing education than was the case with the previous crop of graduates.
- By region, graduates in the New England (68.5 percent) and Plains (67.8 percent) regions fared best in terms of overall employment outcomes, while those in the Southwest (50.2 percent) and Far West (46.8 percent) were least likely to be employed full- or part time.
- Full-time employment figures for Class of 2015 social sciences, English, and history majors all improved over those posted for the Class of 2014.
- Some disciplines suffered a down year, most notably Engineering, with an over 20 percent drop in percent standard employment full-time.
- The overall outcomes rate for both master’s and doctoral graduates were approximately 90 percent and starting salaries increased substantially at each step up in degree level.
[2]An executive summary of the survey [3], which also covered first destinations for associate, master’s, and doctoral degree-level graduates, is available through NACE.
In addition, details about outcomes for 2015 graduates by specific major will be available later in June.
The Class of 2016 survey, which captures data for those graduating July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, is currently underway. Data will be collected through December 31, 2016, reported to NACE through March 2017, and published in spring 2017.
The Class of 2015 survey is the second iteration of NACE’s national initiative to gather outcomes data for new college graduates. NACE conducted its inaugural outcomes survey with the Class of 2014. Consequently, the Class of 2015 survey provides the first opportunity to make comparisons between graduating classes.
For more information on the results of the 2015 NACE survey, including employment data by degree, employment data by type of institution, employment data by academic discipline, institutions that participated in the survey, and much more, click here. [3] or go to NACE’s survey landing page here. [1]