UMW Grads Advance Careers and Education Following Commencement

Nearly 90% of UMW graduates have secured employment, started graduate school or decided to serve in the military, AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps within six months of graduation.

Each year, the University of Mary Washington surveys the newest graduates to learn about their first destination following Commencement. With results from 91% of the Class of 2023, an outstanding knowledge rate well above the National Association of Colleges and Employers benchmark of 65%, UMW knows recent grads are actively planning for the future and well on their way to life after Mary Washington.

"One very important way to assess our students' outcomes is by looking at where they land after graduation and what their intentions were," said Associate Provost for Career and Workforce Kimberly Young. The goal is to hear from new alumni within six months of graduation either by the survey or through social media updates, and within this time, nearly 90% of UMW graduates have secured employment, started graduate school or decided to serve in the military, AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps.

UMW students do great things in the region and across the nation and significantly contribute through non-profit and public service. For alumni careers, of the 67% who answer they are employed, about half go into for-profit organizations, about 21% work in the nonprofit sector, and a notable 23% choose public service professions.

About 20% of UMW alumni go on to graduate school for their next semester following their undergraduate degree, with a third of those pursuing education and healthcare fields. Many go on to MBA programs, or Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees, as well as M.Ed. programs. At least 2% of alumni who report information are selected for a Ph.D. program directly following their bachelor's degree.

"When we think about career outcomes, we remember to factor in graduate school as part of that picture. We intentionally invest in ways to prepare students for careers that require research acumen and advanced degrees and certifications beyond their undergraduate degree," said Young.

Approximately 76% of Mary Washington graduates stay in Virginia for their next steps immediately following graduation, with 27% staying in their college hometown to work throughout the region. Survey respondents also indicated national or global service through the military, AmeriCorps or Peace Corps, for example, with 1.4% reporting these areas following graduation.

"Our students come to our state for a great education and stay here for the quality of life," said UMW Provost Tim O'Donnell. "Preparing students for life and career after college is one of our most important responsibilities."

For those alumni respondents in the workforce, healthcare tops the career list, with 15% of UMW alumni in a healthcare field. The second most populated field is education with just over 10% of recent UMW graduates working in K-12 classrooms, adding to the long history of teachers from the Fredericksburg university. Founded as a teachers' college in 1908, UMW continues to serve the state in K-12 professions, with recent graduates among those teachers greeting new students on their first days of school in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford school divisions, as well as many school systems throughout Virginia. Many alumni are on staff at Mary Washington Healthcare, which plays a vital role in the community, or continue to serve their alma mater, the University of Mary Washington.

They also work in the local technology industry and at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, and commute to the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., for many opportunities at the federal level.

For more information on where UMW Eagles land after graduation as well as the many ways they network and prepare for careers as students, see the annual report from the Center for Career and Professional Development.

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