The headline number
Porter reports that a large majority of graduates are employed in their field or continuing their education within six months of graduating. That figure is real reporting, gathered the same way every year, not a marketing estimate — and it is published by college and by program, not just as one campus average.
The first-destination survey
Every graduating class is surveyed at graduation and again about six months out about their status: employed full-time, employed part-time, continuing education, military service, still seeking, or not seeking. Career Services follows up by email, phone, and through faculty and LinkedIn to reach as many graduates as possible.
Knowledge rate
The knowledge rate is the share of graduates whose outcome is actually known — the denominator behind the headline number. Porter publishes it alongside every outcome figure, because a placement rate built on a low response rate is not trustworthy. A program with a small class and a 60% knowledge rate is labeled as such.
What "in the field" means
A graduate is counted as placed in-field when the role genuinely uses the degree — a manufacturing engineering graduate at a plant, a graphic design graduate at a studio or in-house team, an education graduate teaching. A design graduate waiting tables while job-hunting is counted as employed but not in-field, and the two numbers are reported separately.
Salary data
Where enough graduates report it, median starting salary is published by program, with the number of respondents shown. Small programs may suppress the figure to protect privacy. Salary varies by region and employer; the median is a reference point, not a promise.
Where to find it
The career outcomes page carries the current report with the by-college and by-program tables, the knowledge rates, and a few years of trend. Ask a program directly for its most recent numbers if you are deciding between majors — every department has them.
What the number cannot tell you
Outcomes data describes the class that just graduated into a particular economy; it is a strong signal, not a guarantee for you. It also cannot capture whether graduates like their work. Use it alongside talking to alumni, who Career Services and departments can connect you with.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every office, person, building, phone number and statistic on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real institution or a service you can actually contact.