First Destination Report - Grand Valley State University

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

Search for a specific major below to view the destination data for that major.

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.