UNBC Scores High Marks In Alumni Survey
October 27, 2003 For Immediate
Release
A province-wide survey of BC university graduates is showing that UNBC
alumni are more satisfied with their education, generally make more money,
and are more likely to be living in northern BC than the graduates of
BC's other universities.
The survey measured the class of 2000, two years after graduation. In
total, about 7400 graduates participated, including nearly 300 from UNBC.
Some results:
- The survey clearly demonstrates that graduates tend to stay and work in the region where they receive their education. For example, 81% of graduates from UBC reside in the Lower Mainland and more graduates from UVic live on Vancouver Island than in any other region. More than half of UNBC's grads from the year 2000 live in northern BC, including nearly 80% of Nursing graduates.
- The survey clearly demonstrates that graduates tend to stay and work in the region where they receive their education. For example, 81% of graduates from UBC reside in the Lower Mainland and more graduates from UVic live on Vancouver Island than in any other region. More than half of UNBC's grads from the year 2000 live in northern BC, including nearly 80% of Nursing graduates.
- 39% of UNBC graduates rated the quality of their education as "very
good", compared to a BC average of 30%. In this category, UNBC scored
the top mark among all BC universities.
- 91% of UNBC grads in the labour force were employed at the time of
the survey and their median annual income was $42,950 - 6% higher than
the BC average. For example, the $72,000 income earned by UNBC Computer
Science grads was a full 30% higher than the BC average for graduates
from Computer Science.
- UNBC grads gave the University top marks for helping them develop both
writing and verbal communication skills. In both of these categories,
UNBC performed better than UBC, SFU, or UVic.
- About two-thirds of UNBC grads from 2000 incurred financial debt to
finance their education, compared to the BC average of 47%. The actual
level of debt was also higher - about $20,000 for UNBC grads compared
to $16,000 for the rest of the Province.
"The success and satisfaction of alumni is one of the most important
benchmarks for any university, and this survey indicates that UNBC is
doing well on both counts," says UNBC Alumni Association President
Mark Stafford (BComm 1996), who is a Bank of Montreal branch manager in
Prince George. "For UNBC in particular, an ultimate measure of success
is educating people who will continue to live and apply their skills in
the North. This is happening."