Lives with Meaning

At Warren Wilson, we believe that the best outcomes integrate professional success with authentic, well-lived lives. It’s why we not only look at the traditional markers to measure how we’re preparing our students for the world, but also the non-traditional. Not only how quickly our alumni find jobs, but whether the job was meaningful. Not only whether they were employed, but whether their employment allowed them to continue to grow and learn. Did they get into the graduate school they applied to or travel abroad like they’d dreamed? Did Warren Wilson College prepare them to pursue their dreams?

We think you’ll agree that we’re pretty good at all of that.

Employment After Graduation

  • 90% of Warren Wilson alumni received their first paying job within the first six months following graduation. (National comparison: 77%)
  • 74% of Warren Wilson alumni reported that their first paying job post-graduation allowed them to continue to grow and learn. (National comparison: 66%)
  • 71% of our alumni 1 year after graduation reported that their current job is work they find meaningful. (National comparison: 68%)
  • 90% of our alumni 1 year after graduation and 94% of those 5 years out indicated that their on-campus employment significantly contributed to their learning and personal development. (National comparison: 66% and 64%)
  • 97% of Warren Wilson alumni reported that their participation in the Work Program helped prepare them for their career.

Student Achievement

Retention of First-Year Students
Graduation Rates
MFA Student Progression
Graduate Outcomes

Omar Barnaby

Finding the Cure: A Science Mind Sparked

A lot of students come to college with strong ideals, but are unsure how to integrate them with their post-college working life, as Omar Barnaby ’05 did. For Barnaby, an environmental chemistry course that combined classroom work with a hands-on trip to the Everglades to perform field work — the typical Warren Wilson marriage of pure science and its practical implementation — led directly to post-doctoral work at Harvard Medical School and his current position as a pre-clinical development scientist at Amgen, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies.

Engaged in Community

  • 81% of alumni 1 year from graduation and 73% of alumni 5 years out report that their experience at Warren Wilson prepared them “quite a bit” or “very much” for social and civic involvement. (National comparison: 56% and 54%)
  • 79% of alumni report that their experience at Warren Wilson significantly contributed to their growth in civic engagement. (National comparison: 55%)
  • 59% of alumni engage in community service weekly, monthly, or several times a year. (National comparison: 41%)

Professional Skills

Critical Thinking. Problem Solving. Professionalism. Work Ethic.

These skills are critical to the workplace but often absent from a traditional college setting. At Warren Wilson, they happen every day, inside and outside the classroom, bolstering your resume and giving you the skills employers seek.

  • Critical Thinking: 93% of the Class of 2022 reported that their experience at Warren Wilson significantly contributed to their growth in Critical Thinking. (National comparison: 88%). 
  • Creative Thinking:  88% of the Class of 2022 reported that their experience at Warren Wilson significantly contributed to their growth in Creative Thinking. (National comparison: 77%)
  • Integrative Thinking: 93% of the Class of 2022 reported that their experience at Warren Wilson significantly contributed to their growth in Integrative Thinking. (National comparison: 78%) 
  • Ethical Reasoning: 83% of the Class of 2022 reported that their experience at Warren Wilson significantly contributed to their growth in Ethical Reasoning. (National comparison: 73%) 
Juliana Ratner

Taking Initiative For Justice

When Juliana Ratner ’08 visited Warren Wilson’s campus for the first time, she may have enjoyed her encounter with a Clydesdale horse on Broyles Ridge, but what impressed her the most was the strong women she found plumbing, operating chainsaws, and leading work crews.

Graduate School

Nearly 50% of incoming Warren Wilson students intend to pursue graduate school. Our alumni go on to some of the most prestigious graduate schools in the country, including:

  • Columbia University
  • Duke University
  • Harvard University
  • John Hopkins University
  • New York University
  • Stanford University
  • University of Southern California
  • Vermont Law School
  • Wake Forest University
  • Yale University

The professors at Warren Wilson care about their students and care about teaching. Period. I had no clue how rare that could feel until I went to grad school, and I realized that many (most?) professors at larger universities prioritize research and see teaching as a secondary component to check off of their to do list. Warren Wilson has incredible educators, as well as an incredible community. I will always feel that part of my home is in the Swannanoa Valley.

Elizabeth Creech, '12, Environmental Studies, Creative Writing

All Graduate Outcome data were obtained from the HEDS Consortium alumni survey conducted in 2023. These surveys ask alumni about their postgraduate activities and the quality and impact of their undergraduate educational experiences and compare the rates of Warren Wilson College respondents to those of similar institutions.