SJU, CSB again rank Nos. 1-2 in state for employment, per Zippia

Here’s a bit of good news for graduates of both Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.

Zippia, a career website, found that SJU was again the best college for employment placement in Minnesota in its 2020 analysis, with a 95.16% job placement rate. It was the third time in four years that SJU earned the top spot in Minnesota.

For the second year in a row, CSB was second in the state with a 94.88% placement rate.

Both the SJU and CSB placement rates remain unchanged from 2019.

“Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s are so good at preparing students for jobs because we develop those skills that help our students succeed in life,” said Eugene McAllister, SJU interim president.

“At a time when unemployment rates due to COVID-19 have captured the headlines, we are proud that the skills of CSB and SJU graduates continue to be sought by employers,” said Laurie Hamen, CSB interim president. “The Zippia rankings highlight the value of a CSB/SJU education across a broad range of professions.”

“If you can get into a role that is going to force you to push the critical thinking foundation you get at a place like Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s – and it doesn’t matter if that role is in sales or account management, technology, finance or whatever – it’s going to give you a diversity of experiences that help build your career,” said Karl Ulfers ’02, CEO of Minneapolis-based Rally Health.

Among state leaders, SJU ranked 10th overall. CSB’s rate was higher than 37 state leaders.

Nationally, SJU ranked 15th overall and CSB was 19th overall. Quinnipiac University in Connecticut had the nation’s highest employment placement rate for the second year in a row, at 96.10%.

“The leadership qualities instilled in me while attending CSB/SJU fueled my career and passion to be a lifelong learner,” said Cassie (Raehsler) Langner ’09, project manager in workforce management consulting at U.S. Bank. “I am confident that my experiences at CSB/SJU have prepared me to lead through strategic initiatives and remain agile in a dynamic environment.”

“When I see a Saint John’s or Saint Ben’s graduate applying to join the business world, I’m assured that they’ve had that shared experience that we’ve all had at Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s,” said John Wiehoff ’84, who was the longtime CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide.

“Which is learning a lot, getting a good liberal arts education, getting some technical training, having a very positive social and cultural experience like I did. There’s just a lot of good, healthy, fundamental things that I can assume when I see a Saint John’s or Saint Ben’s graduate applying or looking for ways to enter the business world,” Wiehoff added.

How did Zippia come up with the rankings?

Using the Department of Education’s College Scorecard data, Zippia searched for the college in each state with the highest listed job placement numbers 10 years after graduation.

Zippia then sorted every college in the country from the highest employment levels to the lowest. Any college that did not have this data or suppressed it was excluded from the running. Zippia opted to focus on the best four-year colleges to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Zippia then selected the college with the highest rate of employment in each state, rounding to the second decimal point for readability.