99.5 percent of class of 2019 employed or in grad school

A survey of members of Northwestern College’s class of 2019 reveals that 99.5% found employment or entered graduate school within six months of graduation. That figure is based on a 99% response rate by those graduating seniors.

“Today’s students want to know that exciting professional opportunities and meaningful work await them as college graduates,” says Dr. Elizabeth Pitts, Northwestern’s director of career and calling. “This outcomes report highlights how Northwestern is fulfilling its vision of preparing graduates for Christ-centered work for the common good. In the many careers and graduate programs they’ve entered, these 2019 graduates are standing out, and we’re so very proud of them.”

Google, Disney, the Principal Financial Group, Eide Bailly, Sanford Health and Interstates are just a few of the more than 140 companies and organizations that hired Northwestern’s 2019 graduates.

“Northwestern graduates are well prepared for their work,” says Catherine Bloom, Interstates’ chief marketing and strategy officer. “They’re dependable and looking to establish relationships built on values that are important to us, like trust, integrity and doing high-quality work. Servant leadership is a foundational concept at Interstates, and we’ve seen Northwestern grads be those servant leaders who are willing to dig in, understand their jobs, and serve those around them.”

Among the roles the class of 2019 now holds at those 140 companies are that of a software engineer, accountant, nurse, math teacher, research engineer, athletic trainer, police officer, domestic violence advocate, and director of children’s ministry.

The average reported salary for class of 2019 graduates who are employed full time was $41,160. The maximum salary reported was $74,000.

Slightly more than 17 percent of the class of 2019 are continuing their education in graduate programs ranging from medicine to the arts and at schools that include Baylor University, Ohio University, the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Overall, last year’s Northwestern graduates are now living and working in 24 states and seven countries around the world, with nearly 39% continuing to live and work in Iowa.

The staff in Northwestern's Compass Center for Career & Calling help students discern their calling, develop professionally and make a smooth transition from college to career. Their services include helping students explore their interests and talents, research majors and careers, find internships and study abroad opportunities, search for job possibilities, prepare application materials and practice for interviews, and study for graduate school entrance exams.