Every college wants to tell you that its graduates get jobs. The harder question, the one most prospective families never think to ask, is how the school knows.
Placement rates are only as trustworthy as the data behind them. On that front, there is a number at High Point University that deserves more attention than the headline figure it supports.
The school does have a famously high 99% career placement rate, a figure that nearly unmatched on the national scale. However, it’s a different score that most colleges can’t match.
HPU’s Class of 2025 graduated with an 84% knowledge rate. This figure represents the share of graduates for whom the University has verifiable information about what they are doing after graduation.
This figure is not as glamorous as other numbers that universities boast. It’s still important. In this article, we examine what HPU’s knowledge rate actually means, and why it matters.
What a Knowledge Rate Actually Measures
When a university reports that some percentage of its graduates are employed or in graduate school, that figure is only drawn from the graduates it can actually account for.
The knowledge rate is the size of that pool. A school that knows the outcomes of 84% of its class is standing on far firmer ground than one that knows only a fraction and extrapolates from there.
The national context makes the gap stark. According to the data High Point University cites, the national knowledge rate for students who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2024 was just 55%.
HPU’s 84% is nearly 30 points higher. In practice, that means HPU’s 99% placement claim rests on information about the large majority of its graduates, while many institutions’ comparable claims are built on roughly half.
Why the Gap Matters
A low knowledge rate can seriously distort career placement reporting. If a college only hears back from the graduates who are thriving and loses track of the rest, its placement rate can appear deceptively high.
A high knowledge rate closes that loophole. The more graduates a school can actually account for, the harder it is for a placement number to be flattering by omission.
That is the credibility argument HPU is making. The university calculates its outcomes in accordance with standards set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
This is the same body whose data shows HPU’s placement rate running 13 points above the national average.
Strong placement figures are great. Unfortunately, most universities simply can’t back theirs up to the same extent that HPU does.
Consistency on Top of Credibility
The data is also durable. HPU’s graduating classes in 2022, 2023 and 2024 each posted 99% placement rates as well. This means that the result is not a single well-documented year but a repeated outcome backed by consistently high-quality reporting.
For data-minded parents and the education journalists who scrutinize these claims, that combination of a high knowledge rate, a recognized methodology and multi-year consistency is the difference between a statistic worth trusting and one worth questioning.
It is also why the university is comfortable putting names and employers behind the figure.
Class of 2025 graduates have been hired by organizations including Morgan Stanley, KPMG, Bloomberg, Stryker, Marriott International and the NBA, with others entering law, medical and graduate programs. Specifics like those are easier to stand behind when you actually know where your graduates went.
The System That Produces the Data
A knowledge rate that high does not happen by accident. It’s a reflection of sustained contact with students. HPU’s Office of Career and Professional Development, based in Cottrell Hall and ranked #9 in the nation by The Princeton Review, works with students across all four years.
That ongoing relationship makes graduates far more likely to stay in touch and report their outcomes, which is precisely how a university ends up knowing what happened to 84% of a class.
President Nido Qubein ties the results back to the university’s emphasis on durable human skills. “Our successful placement rate at High Point University is a result of our commitment to educating students with life skills that endure technological change, such as emotional intelligence, motivation, adaptability and effective communication,” he said.
The Question Every Family Should Ask
When any college quotes a placement rate, the follow-up question is simple: for what share of your graduates do you actually have that information?
A school confident in its answer will tell you. At High Point University, the answer is 84%, well above the national norm, and it is the quiet reason its more famous 99% deserves to be taken seriously.
For families learning to read college statistics critically, the knowledge rate is the number to learn first.
