UW-River Falls students finding success after graduation

 

More than 99% of graduates surveyed have jobs or are continuing their education

Feb. 10, 2023 - Virtually all of the 2022 University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduating class had either landed jobs or were continuing their education by the end of last year, according to First Destination Survey results that measure students’ post-graduate employment. 

For the survey, the 2022 graduating class refers to UWRF graduates from August 2021, December 2021, January 2022 and May 2022. The survey is based on the results of 83% of the total graduating class of 1,382 who either responded to the survey or were tracked down by other means. 

Survey figures show of 1,152 graduates included in the survey, 99.3% were either at jobs, furthering their education, or in the military or volunteer service by the end of last year. Only 0.7% were listed as still seeking employment at that time.

The survey classifies the 99.3% figure as positive career outcomes. 

McKenna Pfeiffer, UW-River Falls assistant director of Career Services, called the survey results astounding and the highest the university has seen since it became part of the First Destination process in 2016.

“At first we thought, are these numbers real?” Pfeiffer said. “More than 99 percent is an amazing number. And it turns out it is most definitely real.”

The survey shows that 86.2% of graduates in the survey were working at jobs by the end of December 2022. Another 12.8% were furthering their education, with 0.2% in the military and another 0.2% in volunteer service. 

The positive career outcome figure for 2021 graduates (August 2020, December 2020, January 2021, and May 2021) was 94%. The average salary for graduates that year was $48,131, a figure that increased to $53,028 for 2022 grads. 

That number “shows that a lot of our graduates are finding good-paying jobs,” Pfeiffer said. 

UW-River Falls Chancellor Maria Gallo said the high number of recent graduates who are employed or continuing their education points to the amazing value students receive at the university. Their experiences on campus, and related opportunities such as internships, are part of a “wonderful, affordable education that results in superior career outcomes,” she said. 

“It is heartening to see that nearly all of our 2022 graduates [August 2021-May 2022] are either working in jobs or continuing their education," Gallo said. "Those successful numbers are the result of a committed effort by faculty and staff on our campus to not only provide our students with a high-quality education, but to link them with internships and other opportunities that make them desirable as employees."

The high employment rate is the result of numerous factors, chief among them the high-quality instruction they receive while students at UW-River Falls, said Dawn Hukai, acting dean and professor of accounting in the university’s College of Business and Economics. Students of all sorts participate in hands-on learning experiences that prepare them for the work world, she said. 

“Many students also work with faculty and staff on research projects, also gaining deeper knowledge in their area of interest,” Hukai said. 

Other factors, such as an especially strong employment market, and the proximity of UW-River Falls to the Twin Cities and quality internship opportunities there, also help boost graduates’ job prospects, Pfeiffer said. As a sign of businesses’ demand for workers, Pfeiffer said she has a waiting list of 40 companies and organizations for the February 15 Career and Internship Fair.  

“For sure the job market itself is part of this year’s numbers,” Pfeiffer said. “There are so many opportunities for students. But it’s about more than just that. It’s about the instruction these students receive at UWRF, and about how so many of them are hungry to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them.”

One of those opportunities occurred on Monday, when Pfeiffer and others worked with students to help them with their resumes. That session is one of many on campus designed to help students fine tune skills that help them find jobs. 

“We’re working really hard to have students gain relevant experience and be able to find good jobs once they graduate,” Pfeiffer said in between helping direct two students to the resume writing workshop. “To see them have success after they leave here is so gratifying.”

Please note: Percentages may not be exact due to rounding.