CHAPEL HILL (May 21, 2019) – Graduates of the University of North Carolina System are much more likely than other college alumni to appreciate and promote their schools, according to a survey of 77,695 alumni that Gallup conducted for the system.
The UNC System’s strategic plan calls on university officials to collect data on graduates’ satisfaction with their university experience and postgraduate life.1 The survey, conducted from November 2018 to February, 2019, included graduates from 1940-2018 of all 16 UNC campuses.
Among the findings:
- Almost two-thirds of UNC System alumni (64 percent) strongly agreed that their undergraduate education was worth the cost, versus 50 percent for college graduates nationally. Graduates from 2010-2018 – when tuition costs rose sharply – were the least likely (46 percent) to say their education was worth the cost, however.
- UNC System graduates reported lower student debt: $12,175 on average, compared with $16,179 for graduates nationally.
- 71 percent of UNC System alumni strongly agreed that they had at least one professor who ‘made me excited about learning.’ This compares with 61 percent of respondents from public institutions nationally.
- 64 percent reported finding a “good job” within six months of earning their undergraduate degree – a higher percentage than all comparison groups.
- 42 percent of UNC System graduates reported that they are doing work related to their undergraduate major, compared with 35 percent of college graduates nationally.
- UNC System alumni reported an average personal income of $86,291, versus $74,964 for college graduates nationally; and an average household income of $124,512, compared with $117,863 for graduates nationally.
- 39 percent strongly believed that their university prepared them well for life after college, compared with 29 percent among graduates nationally.
- 41 percent of UNC System graduates feel engaged at work, compared with 35 percent among graduates nationally.
- UNC System graduates reported they are more likely than all comparison groups to be thriving in five elements of what Gallup defines as “wellbeing”: Purpose, social, financial, community and physical.
- In response to prompts like “I can’t imagine a world without [institution]” and “[Institution] was the perfect school for people like me,” 36 percent of UNC System graduates demonstrated emotional attachment to their alma mater – a full 16 percentage points more than graduates nationally. (The pollsters noted that national championships tend to strengthen emotional attachment.)
- 60 percent say they are extremely likely to recommend their institution to family, friends or colleagues, compared with 42 percent of graduates nationally.
“It’s such a positive story!” UNC Board of Governors member Anna Spangler Nelson declared upon hearing the results in a presentation Tuesday.
Nelson ticked off many of the findings: Higher income, lower debt, higher educational value, greater academic challenges, higher workplace engagement, greater wellbeing and more brand ambassadors among graduates.
While university officials have made such assertions for years, she said, “This proves it.”
UNC System Interim President Bill Roper said that officials hoped to confirm that alumni have expanded opportunities and a better quality of life as a result of their education.
“The results show that our alumni are more engaged, better prepared and lead more purposeful lives compared to the average college graduate,” Roper said.
UNC Board of Governors Chair Harry Smith was pleased as well.
“The ultimate test of the education our universities provide is how well it prepares graduates for a successful career and fulfilling life,” Smith said. “The survey results help to confirm the extraordinary value a UNC System education can provide, as well as how much the college experience means to those who complete it.”
1https://www.northcarolina.edu/sites/default/files/unc_strategic_plan.pdf, p. 17.
Rosemary says
I appreciate the research this article presents. However, I find it disingenuous, at best, to lump all statistics together instead of looking at the UNC-system graduates in ten-year groupings, and ignoring other demographics including race; economic status – including receiving financial aid, academic scholarships, other scholarships; and age when they received undergraduate and/or advanced degree. I think that the UNC-System as a whole does well by the citizens of North Carolina, and in turn, contributes to the academic well-being of the people of the United States and to the countries from which international students and U.S. permanent residents have come.
I am not a graduate of any university within the system, but I have been a citizen of North Carolina since 1976, and an admirer of the citizens of my adopted state who have supported public education.
Higher Ed Works says
We agree that averages can be misleading, and with 77,000+ responses, there should be ample opportunity for additional analysis. Institution-specific reports have been delivered to each of the 16 universities in the system, but all that was presented at the Board of Governors’ work session Tuesday were systemwide numbers. (The report did give a breakdown by ten-year groupings on the question of whether the education was worth the cost, and we noted that there were considerably fewer favorable responses from those in the 2010-18 cohort.)