Accessing and Leveraging Post-Graduation Outcomes Data

This is a story about three faculty members: Professor X, Professor Y, and Department Head Z.

Professor X advises undergraduate students in his college. In these advising meetings, he regularly hears students ask:

• “If I major in ____, what can I do after college?” 
• “How much can I expect to earn?”
• “Should I consider a graduate degree?”

He knows his program opens doors, but he wants data to help his students make informed life decisions.

Professor Y’s unit is preparing for a strategic planning retreat. Her unit wants to better support students’ transition to the workforce. Professor Y and her colleagues know the university collects data about students’ career preparation and future plans, but they don’t always know how to access results for their unit.

Department Head Z is heading to a meeting with local industry leaders and elected officials. She’s scheduled to deliver remarks and wants to highlight how NC State isn’t just educating students – it’s driving the local economy. From personal experience, she can think of dozens of recent graduates who have stayed in the area, but she’s looking for proof that graduates are staying in-state and thriving long after graduation.

Three different faculty, three different scenarios. What do they all have in common? A need for reliable, accessible post-graduation outcomes data – AND knowing how to interpret results. Luckily, University Data and Analytics (UDA) is here to help.

University Data and Analytics

University Data and Analytics (UDA) is NC State’s institutional research office and the responsible unit for university-level data and analytics. Our team is committed to improving access to official university data and helping maximize the value of data resources for the broader NC State community. This includes data about our students’ post-graduation outcomes. Two such resources are the Future Plans Survey and the Post-Secondary Educational Outcomes initiative.

Future Plans Survey

The Future Plans Survey (FPS) is administered by UDA to graduating seniors, master’s, and doctoral students participating in spring and fall commencements. The undergraduate survey was first administered in 2010-11, with the graduate survey added in 2017-18. The FPS collects detailed information about students’ post-graduation employment, continuing education, participation in work-related experiences while at NC State, the impact of career services and resources, and more. UDA provides de-identified unit-record files directly to colleges and departments following each reporting period, and maintains dashboards where NC State users can view results by college, department, and plan.

Post-Secondary Educational Outcomes (PSEO) Initiative

The Post-Secondary Educational Outcomes (PSEO) initiative by the U.S. Census Bureau provides valuable insights about the workforce outcomes of college graduates. Results are based on 20+ years of wage record data shared between participating institutions, state labor departments, and the federal government. In February 2026, results for all 16 UNC System institutions were added to PSEO.

UDA has published an executive summary and research brief that summarizes the underlying data, analyzes results, and notes highlights for the university. In addition, UDA created an interactive dashboard that gives users direct access to results for NC State students. This includes the ability to see outcomes for degree fields corresponding to specific majors (plans) of interest, evaluate post-completion earnings and geographic destinations, and compare our results to other institutions. 

Want to Learn More?

UDA is hosting a 1-hour introductory webinar about the PSEO initiative on Tuesday, April 28th at 10am. We’ll cover basic features about PSEO’s design, methodology, and coverage; compare PSEO to other return-on-investment analyses; discuss how PSEO and the Future Plans Survey complement each other; share highlights about NC State’s PSEO results; and provide a tutorial on how to access and navigate the UDA dashboard. Sign up to attend in Reporter. 

Regardless of whether your needs mirror the stories of Professors X, Y, or Z, University Data and Analytics can help break down the ABC’s of accessing and leveraging post-graduation outcomes data!