Samford University graduates continue to demonstrate post-commencement preparedness at the highest level. Six months after graduation, 97% of May 2022 graduates are either employed, continuing their education in graduate school or working in post-graduation internships.
In breaking down the 97% placement rate of May 2022 graduates, 56% are employed, 36% are in graduate school and 5% are in post-graduation internships.
Samford far outpaces the national average. Most recently, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reported an outcomes rate of 84.1% in its First Destinations for the College Class of 2021 report, which was released in October 2022.
The high rate of post-graduation engagement speaks to the student support provided by faculty and staff at Samford. Beginning their freshman year, students are equipped with resources to explore interests and career aspirations through student organizations, global engagement opportunities, and individual career counseling services and assistance that evolves to meet their needs. The result is a highly tailored educational experience that results in high employment and graduate school acceptance rates among graduates.
Over the last five years, Samford has maintained consistently high placement rates, with an average of 96.4% of graduates employed, in graduate school or in a post-graduation internship within six months of spring commencement.
Samford’s five-year placement rates (data collected six months post-commencement):
- 2022: 97%
- 2021: 97%
- 2020: 95%
- 2019: 97%
- 2018: 96%
“The year-over-year placement data is impressive and demonstrates the value of Samford’s first-class education,” said Dora Ditchfield, director of the Samford Career Development Center. “It’s a holistic effort and everyone at Samford plays a role. It’s the faculty who pour themselves into teaching and mentoring so well and provide research opportunities to undergraduates, something that rarely happens at large universities. It’s the staff who lead and encourage opportunities outside of the classroom that creates the well-roundedness that is so valued by employers.”
The Wall Street Journal ranks Samford No. 1 nationally for student engagement and U.S. News & World Report ranks Samford No. 66 in the nation for best undergraduate teaching – placing Samford in the top 2% of all colleges and universities in the country and the only university in Alabama to make the list.
Samford’s Career Development Center collects the information on all undergraduate alumni during the six-month post-graduation time frame. The May 2022 placement data represents 97.7% of the class.
Learn more about student services offered by the Career Development Center
