First Destinations of Graduates

Boundless Potential– Across the Globe

Whether it's continuing studies or conquering their careers, Tigers find boundless potential in their first destinations after graduation– from Baton Rouge to Beijing. LSU students achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development and go on to become collaborative, creative, innovative, and transformative leaders. This data provides a snapshot of recent graduates' first destinations after LSU.

About the Data

Each semester, graduating students are asked to submit their post-graduation status through the First Destination Student Survey, administered through Handshake, LSU's online career platform. That data is reported annually through the interactive First Destinations Dashboard below.

Survey Overview

The First Destination Survey captures information on students' employment details including organization, salary, full-time or part-time. Students are also able to report their enrollment in a graduate program, their volunteer or military status, that they are still seeking an opportunity, or that they are decidedly not seeking an opportunity at the time.

View the list of questions asked of all students in the First Destination Survey. Academic colleges may request to ask and report on additional questions.

Survey Timeline

Students are able to submit a response or update a previously submitted response beginning ~4 weeks before graduation and up to six months post-graduation.

The data is reported on an annual cycle; for example, the 2024-25 Year includes graduates who completed degrees from July 1, 2024–June 30, 20​25.

Data for 2023-24 graduates will be added to the dashboard below in January​ 2025. The 2023-24 survey year closes in November 2024.

Data Collection

Students receive communication from the LSU Olinde Career Center and their academic department, encouraging them to complete the survey prior to graduation. The survey is not required. 

This annual initiative is guided by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, to provide clear, concise, and consistent data on the outcomes associated with a college education on a national scale. View aggregated, national reports and trends here.

Interact with the dashboard to discover insights like salary average by major and most popular employer by LSU senior college.

  • Select the tabs at the top of the dashboard to move between data sorted by reported outcomes. Outcomes include Working,  Continuing Education, and Other.
  • Select options in the drop-down menus for Year, Education Level, Senior College, and Major to view summary data for subpopulations of graduates.
  • Hover the mouse over elements to reveal additional details about the data.
  • Filters will reset as you navigate between outcome tabs.

Destination Louisiana

71.78%

of Louisiana students choose Louisiana as their first destination

34/51

Louisiana is the top destination for 34/51 states and territories

Data shows that when LSU graduates choose not to return to their home state, it's because they choose to stay in Louisiana. Louisiana is the most popular first destination among students from 34 different states and territories. 

First Destinations Interactive Dashboard

*The LSU School of Law and LSU School of Veterinary Medicine conducts a separate graduate survey and are not included in the dashboard dataset.

If you have questions or need assistance accessing this data, please contact Millena Wilson, Communications Manager for the Division of Student Affairs at mwilson1@lsu.edu.