Employment and Educational Status

FIT administers an annual survey of alumni who graduated during the previous academic year with either an associate or bachelor’s degree. This one-year-out survey asks graduates about their current education and employment status, satisfaction with their overall FIT experience, and skills gained at FIT. A total of 3,663 graduates from the 2017-2018 academic year were surveyed and 725 responded, generating a 20% response rate. Bachelor’s graduates were surveyed in May 2019, a year after graduation. Associate graduates were surveyed in January 2019. The earlier date for associate graduates is required for outcomes reporting related to FIT’s participation in the federal Perkins technical education grant program.

Key Results

Employment and School Attendance

• Eighty-two percent of associate degree graduates reported that they continued their education after graduating. Far fewer of the bachelor’s graduates (5%) reported continuing on to further schooling.
• Eighty-one percent of associate degree graduates who were not attending school were employed, with 14% being unemployed (not working and seeking employment), and 5% were not working and not seeking employment.
• Eighty-six percent of bachelor’s graduates were employed, with 70% reporting employment in a job related to their degree. Twelve percent were unemployed (not working and seeking employment) and two percent were not working but not seeking employment.
• A placement rate, which is used for federal Higher Education Act reporting requirements, is calculated for students who are employed or seeking employment. This placement rate equals the number of employed graduates as a percentage of the total of employed graduates and those who are seeking employment. The placement rate for associate degree graduates was 68% and the placement rate for bachelor’s degree graduates was 88%.

Earnings and Benefits

Among working graduates, 87% of bachelor’s graduates and 79% of associate graduates who were not attending school worked full-time. Among bachelor’s graduates who worked full-time, 77% earned more than $40,000 per year and 81% had health insurance. Forty-eight percent of associate graduates not attending school earned more than $40,000 per year and 62% had health insurance. 

New York Employment

Among working graduates, 83% stayed in New York State to work, 4% worked in New Jersey, and 2% worked outside the U.S. 

Employment and School Attendance

Associate Degree Employment and School Attendance Outcomes by School

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Bachelor's Degree Employment and School Attendance Outcomes by School