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Alumni are more likely to view their college degree as a good investment if they received strong career support from their institution, according to the 2023 National Alumni Career Mobility survey released Tuesday by Lightcast, a market analytics company.
Researchers surveyed 9,052 alumni with bachelor’s degrees from 38 different institutions five and 10 years postgraduation, according to a news release.
While a wide majority (82 percent) of respondents reported satisfaction with their college experiences, only 55 percent felt their degree was worth the money they paid for it, and 44 percent said it was worth the student loan debt.
One-third of respondents said they decided on a career in college, and only 19 percent reported high levels of career support from their institutions. But those who did receive career support were 2.8 times more likely to report that their degree was worth the price. Some of those supports include colleges explaining career opportunities, making a career plan and helping students network with employers.
“Higher education has been rightly concerned with declines in satisfaction in surveys among both alumni and the public,” Kim Yousey-Elsener, senior manager of career data and research at Lightcast, said in the news release. “The NACM survey shows that greater career support means greater alumni satisfaction. Institutions that provide career support to students have a clear advantage in alumni attitudes.”
