HPU's 99% employment rate after graduation: where do they get these statistics
January 24, 2024
High Point University is notorious for advertising their excellent connections and outcomes after graduation. The university has thousands of prospective students applying each year to get a chance at experiencing what is supposed to be the premier life skills university.
Located in Cottrell Hall, High Point University’s Career & Professional Development office is a hot spot for student success. Whether you are looking for advice regarding how to dress for an interview or looking for an internship, this office seems to provide it all.
But what about the students that may be having a difficult time landing an internship? High Point University offers a program called Internship Guarantee. Over the 4 years students who attend HPU, are presented with different steps and tasks to work through, and if all tasks are completed, they are guaranteed an internship.
For example, someone who is a STEM major or an education major is going to want to find a place to gain valuable skills and knowledge within their desired field. But how can HPU guarantee such a variety of internships for every undergraduate student? Well, I decided to investigate this.
“The provided (guaranteed) internship may not be in your major, may not be paid, may not be in the semester you want, may not last a certain length-of-time you want, may not be in person, and may not be in your desired city. It may not be a perfect match with your interests, but we will work hard to ensure that it is a good experience,” as stated on the High Point University website.
This disclaimer on the HPU website stands out. I began asking questions about what this internship is and how they are able to do it?
I have nothing but respect for the professionals in the Career & Professional Development office, but the refusal to answer questions such as what the guaranteed internship is if students can't find one themselves, piqued my interest.
Along with internships, HPU advertises a 99% rate of employed students or students continuing education within six months of graduation. This means that HPU has their students employed or continuing education within 180 days of graduating. Resulting in HPU being 14 points higher than the national average according to NACE standards.
They collect this data by aggressively sending out surveys to recent graduates and alumni to see where they landed in regards to jobs and further education.
While this 99% is quite impressive, and true according to NACE results, the 65% graduation rate according to U.S. News & World Reports says the opposite. This percentage is mostly based on students who transfer. So, I decided to find some information about the transfer rate for the class of 2023.
After going into the registrar's office to ask for the statistics for the class of 2023, it was said that the information was not able to be dug up at this time. So, I was not able to obtain any transfer information specific to the class of 2023.
Without these statistics, I had a difficult time justifying the percentages of 99% and 65%. I decided that it was time to get some answers on how these statistics add up.
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After a brief meeting with Doug Hall, the Vice President of Career & Professional Development, he explained that from freshman year, the CPD team has students thinking about getting engaged in the career and professional development process.
“Our mission is to educate and empower all students to translate their experiential learning into the working world as it is going to be.” It is a very developmental process and they don’t only focus on LinkedIn profiles and resumes, but aid students in getting involved with employers and innovators.
These professionals do work to help students set up their future, that is undeniable. However, when tasked with answering such questions regarding the guaranteed internship process, the information was withheld.
To look back on the disclaimer previously stated, that is the only thing to be said about what the ‘guarantee’ of the internship program is. I contacted Brenton Robinson, regarding the ‘guarantee’, as said to do on the website, but I unfortunately received no response.
The Internship Guarantee steps are fully listed and detailed on HPU's website. The steps the university provides to work toward an internship do seem to help with building professional skills as well as creating connections outside of the school.
But shouldn’t there be full transparency with students about what the end of this program entails if they don’t find an internship themselves? If it is not what they are expecting, maybe they will work that much harder to ensure they end up where they need to be. And if a student isn't accept into any of the internships they apply to, what does the university do to ensure they get the 'guaranteed internship'?
“I feel like I am helping students out by always helping them think about maximizing their time here. I say all of that because the 4 or 5 years here, it'll go by fast and you want to make the most of your time,” says Hall. “It is your experience that tells a story. I help students see that and help them go after it.”
It is true that these professionals are dedicated and work each day to help students be successful, however, it is ultimately up to the student to work hard and earn their successes.
While many questions were left unanswered, this experience gave a good look into what the Office of Career & Professional Development does for students. I encourage students to utilize the CPD office and the resources given to each student to succeed, however do not count on an internship guarantee that will help you in your specific career path.
I may not have gotten all the answers, but one of my biggest take-aways is that no response is a response. Everything can look really good on the outside, but without asking questions, no one will ever know what's happening on the inside. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the data and the facts.