Oregon grads finding more jobs
An improving economy has helped the Class of 2005 find jobs more quickly than those who graduated from Oregon's state universities two years earlier.
A study by the Oregon University System also revealed that a larger proportion of Oregon's state university graduates are now earning $50,000 per year or more right out of college -- 18 percent of the class of 2005, compared with 8 percent of 2003 graduates.
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The study, titled "One Year Later," sought to track how graduates of Oregon's seven public universities were doing with regard to employment, satisfaction with their education, and how much they borrowed to get their degrees.
The study involved 1,762 people who received bachelor's degrees from Oregon State University, Portland State University and University of Oregon; Oregon Institute of Technology; and Oregon's three regional universities, Western, Eastern and Southern Oregon Universities.
Graduating into a stronger state economy clearly helped the 2005 graduates, of whom almost 93 percent were employed or accepted into another educational program a year later. This compares with 88 percent of the 2003 graduates.
The number of unemployed grads looking for work dropped to 3 percent of the 2005 class from 6 percent of 2003 grads. Most employed grads have stayed in Oregon, though some work in Washington, California and other states.
Two thirds of the class of 2005 borrowed to complete their educations. Average debt was just over $23,000, with a fifth of graduates borrowing more than $30,000. Thirty-five percent of students owe $15,000 or less.
Thirty-five percent of the 2005 graduating class were the first one in their immediate families to earn a bachelor's degree, up from 31 percent of the 2003 graduating class.
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