Student Employment after Graduation
The findings from Penn State’s Post-Graduation Survey are now available through the First Destination Post-Grad Survey
Dashboard in Institutional Insight (iTwo). Graduating students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) are invited to
take the survey at regular intervals shortly before and after graduation, and data in the dashboard are updated annually
in the early spring. The survey collects information on graduate and undergraduate students’ post-graduation plans and
co-curricular experiences valued by employers. This snapshot provides a University-wide overview of the findings for
students graduating in Summer 2015, Fall 2015, and Spring 2016. As an interactive dashboard, iTwo allows users to view
the data by various student demographics and to drill-down by academic year, semester, degree level, college, campus,
department, and major.
2015 - 2016
Response Rate = 28%
(5,453 students)
The First Destination Post-Grad Survey Dashboard User Guide can help answer any
questions that you may have as you begin working in the dashboard. For more information
or to request access, please direct emails to [email protected] or call 814-865-2377.
2015-2016 DATA SNAPSHOT
Number of Graduates Employed Full-time or Still Seeking Full-time Employment
FT Employment Count
3,101
Still Seeking Count
1,204
Employment Rate
72%
Employment Rate = FT Employment Count / (FT Employment Count + Still Seeking Count)
Students’ Primary Statuses after Graduation
(N = 5,453)
GPA < 3.0
GPA ≥ 3.0
Further
Education
9%
FT Employment
51%
Still Seeking
35%
Further
Education
17%
FT Employment
58%
Still Seeking
20%
Remaining Individual Categories ≤ 2%
Career Services | Planning and Institutional Research | Student Affairs Research and Assessment
Distribution of Full-time Employment Salaries
(N = 2,532)
27%
23%
15%
11%
8%
Under 20K
4%
4%
4%
1%
2%
20K to
29,999
30K to
39,999
40K to
49,999
50K to
59,999
60K to
69,999
70K to
79,999
80K to
89,999
90K to
99,999
100K and
above
SALARY RANGE $
(for those who reported FT Employment)
Geographic Distribution of Full-time Employed Graduates
(N=2,669)
FT EMPLOYMENT COUNT
Pennsylvania
39%
New York
13%
New Jersey
Virginia
6%
Maryland
California
4%
3%
Massachusetts
3%
Texas
2%
Washington, D.C.
2%
North Carolina
Top Five States
6%
2%
STUDENT PARTICIPANTS
Summary of Graduates’ Cocurricular Experiences
(N = 5,453)
What’s the value of an
internship?
63%
Internship
20%
23%
Undergrad Research
International Experience
61% of Penn State students who had
an internship experience while in
school were employed full-time after
graduation, compared to 57% of
graduates overall.
Career Services | Planning and Institutional Research | Student Affairs Research and Assessment
This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities
to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. U.Ed. STA 17-181