Colleges measure graduates' immediate success by whether they have employment or have made alternative plans, such as acceptance to medical or law schools, within three months after graduation. Numbers don’t lie. And UST’s numbers blow the roof off in terms of graduates accomplishing their goals.

UST Bucks National Trend  

Director of Career Services, Paula Marsh, MBA ’10, said, "For 2020-2021 graduating students, St. Thomas reports a 96% employment rate, among the percentage of students who were seeking employment had found placement while at UST related to their major or career.

Why is UST so Successful?

Marsh’s statements attribute UST’s success rate to several factors including a 99% reporting rate, which is difficult to achieve.

•  “During the pandemic, UST Career Services was able to pivot to a hybrid recruiting structure, which has resulted in new employer engagement, a broader reach of industries, and an average job and internship posting of 5,100 postings monthly.”
   
•  “We have partnerships with faculty, staff and students throughout our campus. Faculty work with us to connect with employers, invite us into the classroom and support us in our events. And we are truly grateful for the support we receive.”

Collaboration across the campus is key to the employment rates UST reports.

"Our stellar student employment outcomes are the result of collaborative efforts on campus that focus on student success," Marsh said. "Another reason UST can quantify our numbers is we have a structure in place to collect the data."

The UST Advantage

UST is fortunate not to be dependent on any particular employer industry.

"Our students find jobs across many industries, and we were able to pivot quickly with the pandemic for those industries that were not hiring. Being a small university has its advantages in that way," Marsh said.

Another factor is that UST does not depend on large organizations as its primary source of employment.

Also, to help students prepare for interviews, UST's leadership invested in cutting-edge virtual platforms.

"Career Services was able to help students move into what has become the virtual recruiting world," Marsh said.

Equally important, as employers transitioned to virtual recruiting, they have found cost savings in time and resources, which has allowed them to recruit from different schools.

"We saw an increase in hiring from these employers. For example, our students received invitations to interview with Amazon's Career Day, Intel's Career Day, and many others," she said.

About the University of St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic university grounded in the liberal arts. Committed to the unity of all knowledge, UST offers programs in the traditional liberal arts, professional and skills-based disciplines. Graduates of St. Thomas think critically, communicate effectively, succeed professionally, and lead ethically. Learn more about UST's degree programs, visit the campus, or enroll at stthom.edu.