From staff reports Nearly 92% of Oklahomans who graduate from a college or university in the Oklahoma state system remain and work in the state one year after graduation, according to the 2024 Employment Outcomes Report from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
“Graduates from our state system institutions learn here and earn here,” said State Regents’ chair Courtney Warmington. “Retaining our graduates strengthens Oklahoma’s economy and enhances the productivity and skill level of our workforce.”
Employment outcome rates reflected in the report are calculated from data matched between the State Regents, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and Oklahoma Tax Commission records to determine the percentage of state system graduates who remain in and are employed in the state one year and five years after graduation.
“Once again, data show that most of our state system’s resident graduates, and more than half of our nonresident graduates, choose to stay and work in Oklahoma,” Chancellor Sean Burrage said. “Five years later, they’re still contributing to our communities and working in critical fields like health care, education, engineering, and business.”
The report shows that five years after graduation, nearly 84% of Oklahomans who graduate from a state system college or university remain and work in this state.
Of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates from state system colleges and universities, nearly 89% of resident undergraduate students remain and work in Oklahoma one year after graduation. Five years after graduating with a STEM degree from a public institution, more than 78% still live and work here.
Of graduates in fields identified by the OESC as critical to economic growth, nearly 92% of resident undergraduate students remain and work in Oklahoma one year after graduation, and almost 84% remain and work in the state five years after graduation.
More than 72% of engineering graduates, resident and nonresident alike, who earn a bachelor’s degree are working in the state one year later. Of teacher education graduates from public institutions, more than 87% who earn a bachelor’s degree are employed in Oklahoma one year after graduation. More than 94% of nursing graduates at all degree levels are employed in the state one year after graduation, and more than 86% remained five years later, meeting a critical workforce need.
Most Oklahoma’s Promise students also stay and work in the state after earning a degree. Nearly 93% of Oklahoma’s Promise graduates remain and work in Oklahoma one year after graduation, and almost 85% are still living and working in the state after f ive years.
The report also examines how education level affects earnings. The 2024 study supports national data that link salary to educational attainment. Consistent with national trends, data for graduates of Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities confirm that the higher the degree a student earns, the higher the salary he/she is likely to earn. Additionally, wages increase five years after graduation at all degree levels.
The 2024 Employment Outcomes Report is available online at https://okhighered.org/ econ-dev/statewide-employment- outcomes/.