First Destinations for the Class of 2023

97 percent of 2023 graduates are fully employed or attending graduate school

Each year, the Office of Institutional Advancement, in partnership with the Alex Lee Career and Professional Development Center, invites Lenoir-Rhyne University alumni to participate in the First Destination Survey. According to the survey for the Class of 2023, 97 percent of graduates are fully employed or enrolled in a graduate program.

Lenoir-Rhyne conducts the First Destination Survey using standards developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to collect information regarding how new college graduates fare in their careers within six months of graduation. Data collected includes names of employers, types of employment (full-time, part-time, freelance or other), additional education (graduate or certificate programs) and salary scales. The study provides a window on student outcomes at LR in context with graduates of colleges and universities nationwide.  

• Employers for members of the Class of 2023 include: PwC International, Atrium Health, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Fidelity Investments, First Bank of Middle Tennessee, Burke County Department of Social Services, Meritech Environmental Laboratories, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Hickory Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

• Graduate schools attended by members of the Class of 2023 include: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of Denver, Elon University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Lenoir-Rhyne University.

“We are obviously delighted with these results,” said Fred Whitt, Ed.D., university president. “The high percentage of Lenoir-Rhyne graduates finding full-time employment or furthering their academic and professional studies reflects the quality of instruction at LR as well as the resources and attention our students receive to ensure their long-term success.”

Per the Alex Lee Career and Professional Development Center, the 2023 percentage of graduates employed or enrolled in graduate school lines up with trends visible at LR over the previous few graduating classes – in 2022 the number was 97 percent, and in 2021 it was 96 percent. According to the 2022 NACE survey, the national average for undergraduates employed or in a graduate program after graduation was 86 percent.