99% of HPU Graduates Are Employed or Furthering Their Education Within 180 Days

Mark Bradburn, the founder and co-managing financial advisor of The Bradburn Group at Morgan Stanley and High Point University’s Wealth Management Innovator in Residence, is pictured in the university’s Dwyer Career and Professional Development office with Lily Nelson, a Class of 2024 alumna who accepted a job as an analyst with Morgan Stanley in New York before she received her MBA at HPU in 2025.

HIGH POINT, N.C., May 30, 2025 – High Point University’s commitment to equipping students with life skills continues to produce extraordinary results. Data collected by HPU in accordance with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) standards shows an overall placement rate of 99.2% for all graduates in the Class of 2024.

HPU’s percentage of 2024 graduates who were employed or furthering their education within 180 days of graduation is 14 points higher than the national average reported by NACE.

HPU also achieved an 83% knowledge rate for its NACE survey, which is much higher than the national average. For example, NACE’s national knowledge rate average for bachelor’s degree holders is 55.8%. Knowledge rate refers to the percentage of graduates for whom a university has accurate information about their career activities after graduation.

“The mission of the Office of Career and Professional Development is to educate and empower every student to translate their experiential learning into meaningful professional opportunities,” said Dr. Doug Hall, vice president for career and professional development. “At HPU, our students gain valuable experiences and are encouraged to intentionally leverage their transferable life skills — not only for roles they know about but also for opportunities that have yet to be created.”

HPU has maintained a nearly perfect placement rate over the years, in part, due to programs and opportunities that focus on experiential learning, provide connections to industry leaders and accelerate students’ careers.

“The preparation our students receive by way of experiential learning both inside and outside the classroom, thanks to our outstanding faculty and staff, provides a strong foundation,” Hall said. “This enables our office to help students refine their career goals and effectively communicate their value to employers and graduate schools.”

Distinctive Ways HPU Prepares Students for Accomplished Careers

Here’s a glimpse of a few ways HPU prepares students for success:

Experiential Learning All Four Years

HPU’s Class of 2024 graduates have gone on to land highly competitive positions across the country, as well as attending prestigious graduate schools.

Annie Borovskiy, a sport management major from the Philadelphia suburb of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, accepted her job as an inside sales representative with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets before her graduation in 2024. While at HPU, she had endless experiential learning opportunities, which have been key to her success. She also took full advantage of the Access to Innovators program, which brings industry leaders such as Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak and Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph to campus to mentor students.

Borovskiy had lunch with Cynt Marshall, the former CEO of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and HPU’s Sports Executive in Residence. She also traveled to Dallas for an externship with the Mavericks during her junior year to get a behind-the-scenes mentorship experience from Marshall, who hosts the externship for HPU students every year. The opportunity boosted her understanding of NBA organizations. She also learned from leaders like Charlie Freeman, president of business operations for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and HPU’s Sports Business Executive in Residence.

“HPU offers an abundance of opportunities across all corners of campus academically, and as I reflect, I truly believe I have received a once-in-a-lifetime extraordinary education,” Borovskiy said.

Emerson Heckler, a Class of 2024 alumna from Mooresville, North Carolina, received full tuition from the Dean’s Medical Excellence Scholarship to attend the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She also was accepted to M.D. programs at Dartmouth College and Virginia Commonwealth University, which is an even more impressive accomplishment considering the Association of American Medical Colleges reports only about 40% of pre-med majors get accepted into medical school.

“I found not only a strong academic foundation but also unparalleled opportunities for growth and distinction,” Heckler said of her time at HPU, where she participated in cutting-edge research as a neuroscience and psychology major. “I realized that beyond just earning good grades and a high MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) score, it was essential to stand out with unique experiences taught outside the classroom.”

HPU in the City

One reason for that success is the “HPU in the City” program, which allows students to network and explore career opportunities through travel to locations like New York City or Washington, D.C., for a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to work in business, broadcast journalism, the fashion industry, politics or professional sports.

Grant Hines, who earned his master’s degree in communication and business leadership from HPU in 2024, joined NBC News as a desk assistant in Washington, D.C., where he works for the NBC News Washington bureau and MSNBC. He also assists correspondents and anchors and produces news stories. HPU in the City was an important part of his educational journey.

“HPU provided me with resources, experiences and skills I needed to obtain this position,” Hines said. “I was able to gain experiential learning through HPU’s state-of-the-art TV studio, where I helped produce several weekly shows and long-form specials. I began using the Office of Career and Professional Development during my first few weeks as a freshman, and I went on the HPU in the City trip in New York City shortly after. The relationships that I built in the career office and on that trip are the reason why I was able to craft a stellar resume and cover letter and have the skills needed to ace an interview.”

Career Expos on Campus

The Office of Career and Professional Development organizes Career and Internship Expos twice each academic year to connect undergraduate and graduate students with employers. The expo attracts recruiters from well-known companies such as Morgan Stanley, Northwestern Mutual and Novant Health, as well as state-level and local firms. The university also hosts additional career fairs focused on specific majors and dozens of professional development events, such as the Sales Career Fair for sales majors or the Accounting Career Fair for accounting majors.

HPU+ Professional Development Platform

HPU+, an app easily accessibly on smart phones, tablets and TVs, was created to provide free and relevant professional development content for students, alumni and the world. In an age when AI threatens many professions, HPU is focused on instilling students with life skills that outlast inevitable technological change.

The HPU+ platform features live events, podcasts and interviews with industry leaders, such as the co-founders of Apple and Netflix, CEOs of Domino’s, SHRM and MyEyeDr., leaders in the finance industry and award-winning journalists. A special Destination Success series featuring HPU alumni who work at major organizations across the country also provides insight and advice on how they crafted their careers.

Anyone can download the app and access thousands of hours of content at hpuplus.com.

C-Suite Surveys

As the Premier Life Skills University, HPU regularly surveys C-suite executives from across the country to examine which skills employees need to thrive in their careers. Results from the survey of 500 executives in 2022 revealed that employers are looking for candidates who have hands-on experience in real-world settings. Those results confirmed the findings of a previous 2018 survey of 500 executive leaders who indicated life skills, such as motivation, emotional intelligence and problem-solving, were more important to their organizations than technical skills. HPU also surveyed North Carolinians on what they think college graduates need to succeed in the workforce in 2024, with most selecting motivation and a positive attitude.

HPU then combines the best of a liberal arts education with state-of-the-art labs, technology and experiential learning opportunities, all underscored with the life skills that outlast inevitable change and prepare students to adapt in a constantly changing world.