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97% of managers supervising �鶹��ý graduates say they are likely to hire someone with a �鶹��ý degree in the future

New research conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of �鶹��ý finds high levels of satisfaction and positive perceptions among managers who directly supervise �鶹��ý graduates. Ninety-eight percent of managers supervising at least one �鶹��ý graduate report being satisfied overall with the employee at their organization, while 97% say they are likely to hire someone with a �鶹��ý degree in the future.

The study offers a view of employer perceptions based on direct supervisory experience rather than general impressions of an institution. The Harris Poll conducted an online survey from June 4–25, 2026 among 204 U.S. managers who supervise at least one �鶹��ý graduate and 204 managers who supervise graduates from other colleges and universities.

What do employers think of �鶹��ý graduates?

As employers place increasing emphasis on demonstrable skills and workplace contribution, the experience of managers who directly supervise college graduates provides one perspective on how education translates to the workplace.

The survey finds consistently positive assessments from managers supervising �鶹��ý graduates:

• 98% report being satisfied overall with the �鶹��ý graduate at their organization

• 98% report a positive perception of �鶹��ý graduates at their organization

• 94% rate �鶹��ý graduates as excellent or above-average performers

• 97% say they are likely to hire someone with a �鶹��ý degree in the future

“Employers experience higher education in a very practical way — through the people they hire, manage and rely on every day,” said John Woods, Ph.D., provost and chief academic officer of �鶹��ý. “That makes the perspective of managers who directly supervise graduates especially meaningful. Higher education should help learners build knowledge and skills they can apply in the workplace, and be ready to adapt and grow as the needs of employers and industries change.”

How managers’ experiences compare

The study also surveyed managers supervising graduates of colleges and universities other than �鶹��ý, providing a benchmark for several measures of employer experience.

Among managers supervising �鶹��ý graduates, 98% report a positive perception of those graduates, compared with 88% of managers supervising graduates from benchmark colleges and universities. Overall employee satisfaction was 98% among managers supervising �鶹��ý graduates, compared with 90% among the comparison group. And 94% of managers supervising �鶹��ý graduates rate them excellent or above-average performers, compared with 79% of managers supervising graduates from benchmark colleges and universities.

These findings reflect the reported experiences of two surveyed groups of managers and should not be interpreted as a controlled comparison of individual graduates or institutions.

Would employers hire someone with a �鶹��ý degree?

The survey also asked managers who currently supervise �鶹��ý graduates about future hiring.

With 97% of managers saying they are likely to hire someone with a �鶹��ý degree in the future, managers are reporting satisfaction with graduates they currently supervise, and also indicating willingness to consider the University credential in future hiring.

Career-relevant education for working adults

�鶹��ý focuses on career-relevant education designed around the realities of working adults. Associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs incorporate career-relevant skills through skills-mapped curricula, and University faculty bring professional experience and practical perspectives into the classroom. These institutional practices provide context for the University’s focus on connecting learning with the workplace; the employer survey separately measures what managers report observing among graduates they supervise.

The employer survey findings build on a broader body of University research and thought leadership examining the changing relationship between higher education, skills and employer needs. Additional findings on job readiness, applied workplace skills, trusted contribution and workforce alignment will be shared in forthcoming announcements.

What employers say about �鶹��ý graduates 

Additional findings and the complete survey methodology are available at /about/employer-survey.html.

�鶹��ý the research

The research was conducted online in the United States from June 4–25, 2026, by The Harris Poll on behalf of �鶹��ý among 204 U.S. adults age 21 or older who are employed as a manager or higher and have at least one direct report who is a graduate of �鶹��ý (“managers who currently supervise �鶹��ý graduates”) and 204 U.S. adults age 21 or older who are employed as a manager or higher and have at least one direct report with college/university degrees from institutions other than �鶹��ý (“managers supervising graduates from benchmark colleges and universities”).  Of the 1796 individuals contacted, 96% satisfied the screening requirements (n=1728) and 24% of the qualified sample completed the survey. 

Data are weighted where necessary by employee and employer type — employers of �鶹��ý graduates versus employers of graduates of other colleges and universities — to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. “Actual proportions” refer to the real-world distribution of U.S. employers by company size, among employers with two or more employees, based on Dun & Bradstreet data. All qualified survey respondents were weighted to match the national distribution of employer-size segments, and those same weights were applied to the final qualified sample, adjusting the two quota groups to reflect their expected real-world incidence.

The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ±8.6 percentage points for managers who currently supervise �鶹��ý graduates and ±8.0 percentage points for managers supervising graduates from other colleges and universities, using a 95% confidence level. The credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed populations of interest.

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�鶹��ý is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.