Despite a year of global uncertainty, recent Samford University graduates are entering the workforce or advancing their degrees quickly and successfully. Six months after graduation, 96% of December 2020 graduates reported being either employed, continuing their education in graduate school or working in post-graduation internships.

“We were thrilled to discover that, despite being in the middle of the pandemic that impacted the job market our students were so successful,” said Dora Ditchfield, director of the Career Development Center. “This is an excellent number in any time, but the fact that such a high percentage of our students are employed, in a post-graduate internship, or in graduate school in difficult times is a testimony to the education and mentoring they receive from faculty and staff at Samford.”

As of June 6, of the December 2020 graduates, 73% were employed, 21% were in graduate school and 2% were in post-graduation internships.

Professional experience prior to graduation is one factor that Samford students agree is key to success in a competitive job market. In results reported by the National Survey of Student Engagement in 2019, 88% of Samford seniors have completed or planned to do an internship by the time they graduate, compared to 63% of seniors at peer institutions.

The high rate of engagement speaks to the student support provided by faculty and staff. 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. The result is a highly-tailored educational experience that results in high employment and graduate school acceptance rates among graduates.