National Alumni Career Mobility Annual Report
2024 Findings, Benchmarks, and Best Practices
Tap into the voice of over 9,000 alumni from 34 peer institutions, collected 5 and 10 years after graduation.
Career Preparation and Institutional Career Investment are both strongly related to alumni perception of ROI.
Yet, less than half of respondents rated their institution high on Career Preparation (49%) and an even smaller number (23%) rated their institution high on Institutional Career Investment. Clearly, there is opportunity for improvement.
Address equity gaps
NACM data reveals noticeable gaps in equity for historically marginalized groups in three main areas: Career Preparation, Institutional Career Investment, and Student Loan Debt.
The good news is, this year's NACM report also identifies "strategic influencers" that institutions can use to close these gaps and deliver socially just outcomes for learners.
Define student success
Traditional measures of student success often focus only on salary–a view of success that lacks nuance, especially for careers that don't lead to high salary positions. In fact, when we see how alumni talk about their motivation for obtaining their degree, financial gain is third on the list, coming after both Career Success in their chosen field, and Intellectual Development.
Measure and Understand ROI
NACM data sheds light on alumni’s motivations for obtaining their degree (their “why”), which helps clarify what they expect in return for their educational investment. It also helps us better understand current perceptions of value.
This year’s report shows that while 83% reported being satisfied with their educational experience, only 55% agreed their degree was worth the tuition they paid – and less than half (44%) said it was worth their loan debt.
NACM annual survey results provide insights into these challenges and reveal concrete strategies for improving student career success.
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