GVSU Career Center
First Destination Annual Report

2021-2022

Where did they land?

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What are Grand Valley State University graduates doing?

Survey of Graduates from July 1, 2021—June 30, 2022

Pie chart showing destinations of GVSU graduates. See table below for data.
Destination location of GVSU graduates, 2021-2022
Destination Graduates
Employed Full Time 68%
Continuing Education 16%
Employed Part-time 6%
Still Seeking 10%
Volunteer Service, Miliary Service, Not Seeking Less than 1% each

Destination Rate*

90%
Respondents reporting a primary status of employed full-time, employed part-time, continuing education, volunteer service, military service, or not seeking

*The class of 2021-2022 was surveyed about their postgraduation destinations up to seven months after degree completion. Data are also gathered from public record via LinkedIn. The knowledge rate, or percentage of the graduating population for which we have data, is 59.5 percent (2,985 graduates).

Major Specific Destination Rates

Student Satisfaction

73%
Respondents who agree/strongly agree their current status matches goals and expectations.
87%
Total percentage of those who indicate satisfaction with overall career services offered.

Destination Rate By College

Undergraduate Destination Rates
  • College of Education and Community Innovation 90.4%
  • Padnos College of Engineering and Computing 97.4%
  • College of Health Professions 91%
  • Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies 86.8%
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 84.9%
  • Kirkhof College of Nursing 94.2%
  • Seidman College of Business 95%
Graduate Destination Rates
  • College of Education and Community Innovation 95.3%
  • Padnos College of Engineering and Computing 97.4%
  • College of Health Professions 86.3%
  • Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies * 100%
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 82.1%
  • Kirkhof College of Nursing * 100%
  • Seidman College of Business 98.4%

* Based on a sample size of less than 10

THE LAKER EFFECT

The top regional employers recruit Grand Valley graduates. GVSU values strong relationships with employers who provide valuable career opportunities, experiences, and advice to students.

The states with the most alumni outside of Michigan are Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Texas.

85%
of graduates live and work in Michigan
72%
Concentrated in West Michigan
(The Prosperity Region - 13 counties)
12%
Concentrated in Metro Detroit

Representative Next Destination Employers

  • Amazon
  • Beaumont Health
  • Deloitte
  • Fifth Wheel Freight
  • Ford Motor Company
  • General Motors
  • Grand Rapids Public Schools
  • Hope Network
  • Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Meijer
  • Mercy Health
  • National Heritage Academies
  • Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
  • Spectrum Health
  • Stryker
  • Trinity Health
  • University of Michigan Health – West

Representative Next Destination Graduate Schools

  • Arizona State University
  • Central Michigan University
  • Grand Valley State University
  • Harvard Graduate School of Education
  • Michigan State University
  • Ohio State University
  • Purdue University
  • University of Denver
  • Illinois College of Optometry
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Michigan Flint
  • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • University of Tennessee
  • University of Toledo College of Law
  • Washington University in Saint Louis
  • Wayne State University
  • Western Michigan University

First Job

Employers are recruiting Grand Valley students early - 85% of graduates employed full-time reported receiving offers before graduation.

21%
6+ months
before
12%
3-6 months
before
52%
0-3 months
before
Graduation
13%
0-3 months
after
2%
3-6 months
after
<1%
6-9 months
after
98%
of respondents who are employed full-time accepted an offer within three months of graduating
Starting Salaries
Please contact the Career Center for median starting salary information by college.

Experiential Education

Experiential education includes internships, practicums, clinicals, student teaching, co-ops, field experiences, study abroad, service learning, and research.

Overall, 45% of survey respondents completed at least one type of experiential education activity. Within that group, 84% received credit for their experiential learning. The numbers below are reflective of each activity a student completed, taking into account that many students have completed more than one.

Type of experiential education in which students participate.
Education Type Graduates
Co-op 3%
Student teaching, assisting 12%
Clinical Rotation 14%
Internship, practicum, field work 66%
Types of other high impact practices in which graduates participates.
High Impact Practice Graduates
Study Abroad 7%
Service learning 10%
Faculty-led research 12%
66%
Internship/practicum/field work
14%
Clinical rotation
12%
Student teaching/assisting
12%
Faculty-led research
10%
Service learning
7%
Study abroad
3%
Co-op

Career Center Year in Review

These numbers are not pulled from the First Destination Survey but show Career Center impact during 2021-2022 across all learners.
4,135
Career Advising
Appointments
2,731
Scheduled
1,404
Drop-in
Bar chart showing class standing of career advising appointments. See table below for data.
Career advising appointment by class standings.
Class standing Percentage of appointments
Freshman 6%
Sophomores 14%
Juniors 19%
Seniors 44%
Alumni 7%
Graduate Students 10%
6,865
Student participation in career events
1,080
Total employer engagement in Career Center activities