October 1, 1999 For Immediate Release

A BC-wide study of 1996 university graduates shows UNBC alumni are achieving considerable success, due in large part to the education they received at UNBC. In general, the UNBC graduates participating in the study found it easier to get work, they found work faster after graduation, and are, on average, making more money than the 1996 graduates of the other BC universities. In many categories, UNBC surpasses the provincial average.

Category	Provincial    Average	UNBC
Number of Graduates Currently Employed	84%	89%
Students Indicating Their Program was Very Useful for Getting a Job	53%	74%
Students Attending University to Attain Skills for Employment	46.5%	63%
Percentage of Students Who Would Take the Same Program Again	74%	80%
Students Satisfied with the Quality of Instruction	82%	93%
Students Satisfied with the Availability of Instructors	77%	98%
Percentage of Students Who Say Computer Skills are Important	86%	95%
Students who Acquired Computer Skills During Their Studies	67%	72%

The study of 1996 graduates contains information on employment rates, earnings, program satisfaction, and the skills obtained \ at university. A total of 6250 graduates from Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, The University of British Columbia, and UNBC were surveyed. UNBC had 89 graduates in 1996 and half responded to the survey.

"Despite the small sample size, the survey confirms what we've known for some time," says Myron Gordon (BA 1994), the President of the UNBC Alumni Association. "I'm constantly impressed with stories from other alumni about their interesting careers or the additional education they're obtaining at universities around the world. UNBC alumni are making a difference and without a doubt, our experience at UNBC prepared us very well for the future."

"These statistics are easily as important for UNBC as our high ranking in Maclean's last year," says UNBC Vice-President Deborah Poff. "While Maclean's compares universities, this study illustrates how our graduates have succeeded and how they believe we prepared them for the future. Many of our students are very pragmatic and came to UNBC to improve their career options. It's very important for current students to see how our alumni are achieving success."

This is the third annual survey of BC university graduates and marks the first time UNBC has participated in the study.