Rivier University of New Hampshire Offers Students Employment Guarantee
This is a pretty bold move in today’s post-grad job market.
ABC News reports.
New Hampshire University Offers Grads Employment ‘Guarantee’
A small Catholic university in southern New Hampshire is becoming the latest college to offer a money-back guarantee of sorts to its students.
Rivier University, which has a total student population of about 2,600 in Nashua, has created an “Employment Promise Program” that will be available to full-time undergraduates starting with the class of 2020. Students are guaranteed to land a job within nine months of graduation, or the school will either pay their federally subsidized students loans for up to a year or enroll them in up to six master’s degree courses tuition-free.
“We want to send a message that we recruit not just for the first year, but we’re a partner throughout an educational experience with students,” university president Sister Paula Marie Buley said.
“The Rivier Employment Promise is really the university’s commitment to partner with students in the classroom, on campus, in the community and ultimately, a career,” she said.
The university typically has about 200 incoming freshman each year, and Buley expects most of them to participate in the program. Students must maintain a 3.0 minimum grade point average and participate in a variety of activities, including career counseling, community service and internships. In return, the university will provide specialized academic and career action plans designed to enhance a student’s employability.
“We’re focusing on the goal of an undergraduate education — the academic rigor, the values, the skill set, the ability to work with other people, to communicate ideas — and we give students ways to practice all their skills while they’re still at the university,” Buley said.