Post-Graduation Plans 2010-11 Highlights

The undergraduate post-graduation plans questionnaire, first implemented in December of 2008, is designed to serve as an institutional exit survey for graduating seniors. The questionnaire, delivered on-line, meets reporting requirements for the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA)/College Portrait, and has the potential to meet federal reporting requirements.

Students who intend to graduate in a Fall or Spring term are sent an e-mail prior to the end of the term asking them to respond to a questionnaire that appears in their MyUW student portal. Responses are voluntary and only accessible to authorized university personnel.
Responses are loaded into InfoAccess (the UW-Madison data warehouse) nightly during the collection period.
After degrees are posted, generally March for December graduates and October for May graduates, the questionnaire responses may be combined with degree data for analysis.

Highlights for 2010-11 graduating seniors:

  • 32% of December and May graduates responded to the questionnaire.
  • 95% plan to work or attend graduate school, with 87% of graduates planning to work full-time or attend graduate school full-time.
  • Graduates reported learning gains since beginning at UW-Madison on every question designed to measure the essential learning outcomes (ELOs).
  • Among graduates who plan to work as their primary activity, 61% had already accepted an offer or were considering offers for positions.
  • 45% plan to work in Wisconsin after graduation; another 15% were undecided on where they would work. 

Questionnaire

Screenshots of the questionnaire, as seen by students (version implemented in December 2010, includes learning outcome questions).

Reports and Summary Data

Academic Planning and Analysis (APA), has summarized results from the post graduation plans questionnaire for each survey year, as well as some initial analysis by disciplinary division and for selected majors. Links to powerpoint slides of these analyses are included below.

How do I get access to my program data?

Those individuals with access to UW-Madison student record data via InfoAccess may request access to the Stdnt_Post_Grad_Plans_Ugrd data view and create their own analyses for program-level data. Basic queries are also available via the Query Library.

For programs that need assistance with analyses, Academic Planning and Analysis may be able to summarize data at the major or school/college level. Please contact Sara Lazenby for assistance.

Additional Information and Previous Reports

  • Essential Learning Outcomes and Post-Graduation Plans - presentation at the UW-System President's Summit (April 15, 2011). The presentation
    includes background information on the development of the questions, and pilot implementation.
  • 2009-10 Summary Report - report of campus-level data for December 2009 and May 2010 graduates
  • Looking for information on the Alumni Profiles? These have been discontinued, but an archive is available here.