For Third Year in a Row, New Study Shows 97% of Recent Samford Graduates Are Employed or Continuing Studies

Published on November 13, 2023 by Scarlet Thompson

Samford University graduates are consistently demonstrating post-commencement preparedness at the highest level. Six months after graduation, 97% of May 2023 graduates are either employed, continuing their education in graduate school, or working in post-graduation internships.

This overall statistic has not changed in three years, according to the records from Samford’s Career Development Center. In breaking down the 97% placement rate of May 2023 graduates, 57% are employed, 37% are in graduate school and 3% are in post-graduation internships.

The National Association of Colleges & Employers compiled this first-destination information from multiple schools, representing more than 508,000 students nationwide, and for the class of 2021 (the most recent on their website), the “placement” rate, which the report calls the “outcomes rate” was 84.1% (compared to Samford’s rate of 97%).

The high rate of post-graduation engagement at Samford speaks to the student support and educational opportunities provided by faculty and staff. From the start of 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.

“For the past three years in a row, 97% of undergraduate alumni have been working, in graduate school, or in a post-graduate internship within six months of graduation. While the ratio of recent graduates pursuing employment versus entering graduate school has fluctuated slightly year to year, the overall statistic has not,” said Dora Ditchfield, Director of Samford University’s Career Development Center. “This compares to the most recent national average, which demonstrates just how impressive Samford’s numbers are.”

Over the last five years, Samford has maintained consistently high placement rates, with an average of 96.6% 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):

2023: 97%
2022: 97%
2021: 97%
2020: 95%
2019: 97%

The information from the National Association of Colleges & Employers was announced just a few weeks after The Wall Street Journal report that recently ranked Samford No. 10 nationally for career preparation.

Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.