How Career Outcomes, Social Mobility Make JWU a Top Choice

This article was updated August 2022 to reflect JWU's most current statistics.

There are many impressive facts and figures that substantiate the impact of a Johnson & Wales education, such as that 96.8% of its students continue on a professional track after earning their degree or that, according to the latest survey on alumni progression in 2018, 20% of these same alumni jump two or more income brackets after graduation. In fact, by mid-career, JWU graduates earn 10% more than their industry counterparts.

But what’s truly impressive is the testimony of the tenacity of a JWU student.

• “My biggest piece of advice is to step outside of your comfort zone. Trust in your own skills.” -Kayla Hoang '19
• “Get out there. Chase the present.” -Jacquelyn Lussier '20
• “No one’s going to do it for you.” -Jordan Lacey '16, CMP

ABOVE, L-R: JWU ALUMNI JORDAN LACEY, KAYLA HOANG + JACQUELYN LUSSIER

JWU students are successful not because doors are opened for them — although, to be fair, the university works hard to unlock as many as possible. An average of 97% of on-campus students receive institutional aid, and the office of Experiential Education & Career Services arranged 1,559 internships in 2021 at 1,006 sites in 44 states and 20 countries.

Still, JWU students prove time and time again that they are unafraid to knock on closed doors and even make their own path when needed. It comes down to preparation meeting a moment that holds all the promise for a better future. “JWU is the opportunity university,” said Assistant Professor Kevin DeJesus, Ph.D.

Career Outcomes at JWU

Career outcomes information is a nationally recognized way to calculate student success. The Career Outcomes Rate reflects the percentage of students who are either employed, continuing their education, enlisted in military service, or performing voluntary service within six months of graduation.

According to the university’s results for the Class of 2020, the most recent data on record, JWU students rank nearly 15% higher than the national average when it comes to finding their place in the workforce after earning their diploma.

“JWU is the opportunity university.”

Why are the alumni of JWU so successful when it comes to putting their knowledge to work?

One reason is the fact that experiential education is at the core of the university’s experience.

Learning by doing is built into the curriculum at every possible step. Faculty are industry experts and bring years of outside experience into the classroom. These same faculty ranked #16 in undergraduate teaching in 2021. Students earn certifications to gain a competitive edge. They intern at global companies and build a professional network while earning a degree. (In 2021, 72% of paid interns were offered permanent employment as a result of the university’s award-winning internship program.) Students even complete in-class projects with top-notch education partners such as TD Garden and the Boston Bruins, working to problem-solve real corporate challenges in real time.

Upward Mobility University Stats

Students and families invest in a college education because they believe that a diploma is the key to reaching their goals.

With more than a century and more than 120,000 alumni as proof, JWU does not let them down.

If there’s such a thing as a “road to success,” the university paves it — but it’s up to the students to fuel their future with hard work and a fierce determination to move ahead, day after day.

It pays off: According to a 2017 social mobility study published in The New York Times, one in five students jumped two income quintiles after graduation and nearly 2% rose from the bottom income quintile to the top, rates much higher than the average for selective private colleges nationwide. Evidence like that has made JWU a Top 100 School for Social Mobility: U.S. News & World Report ranked JWU 66th in social mobility for 2022, placing JWU in the top 17% (or top quintile) of the category.

Every university strives to prepare its students to achieve their highest potential. At JWU, you can look at the data and see that it’s mission accomplished. Or you can look at the dreamers doing and the self-starters going at full speed. Either way, it’s clear that a JWU education works.