College students leave Boston after school, study says

Graduates from Boston-area colleges and universities are more likely to leave the city to find jobs after graduation, according to a study released Friday.

Michael Lake, executive director of the World Class Cities Partnership at Northeastern University, the group that released the study, said the present job market draws graduates out of the city.

“Recent graduates leave for one reason — where they find employment,” he said. “If Massachusetts can provide meaningful employment to young people, then we can keep more of them here.”

Lake said the Commonwealth is losing a valuable portion of a highly educated workforce that spends years studying in the city.

“We have some of the finest academic institutions that are teaching brilliant minds in the world,” he said. “When we lose part of that population, we do Massachusetts a disservice because our talent pool is the number-one magnet for new business, whether that be for a business to locate or relocate a here, or for a small business to start here because of our talents.”

The cost of living in Boston is a major reason graduates choose to leave the city, Lake said.

“We’ve found that the cost of housing and living and lack of transportation are the complaints of the people who stay rather than the reasons of the people who left,” he said. “We need to be addressing the reason why people are leaving, and this reason is for access to a meaningful job.”

Daniel Spiess, research director at WCCP, said there aren’t many graduating students who have a higher priority than starting their career after graduation.

Spiess said based on the partnership’s findings, 50 percent of graduates leave the Commonwealth.

“Certain universities that are more local have higher retention rates. If you’re from Mass., you’re likely to stay in Mass.,” Speiss said.

Speiss said Boston has a lot to offer that new graduates may not be immediately aware of.

“Boston has a tremendous amount of job opportunities and career opportunities. It’s not just one job or two jobs, it’s your whole life career. I think a pivotal point is connecting students with employment opportunities,” he said.

Some companies have attended career fairs to encourage graduate students to work for them.

Courtney Scrib, a human resources representative from the Fairmont Copley Plaza, said the job expos are a good way to generate graduate interest.

“We attend various career fairs,” Scrib said. “We really do value the relationship we have with BU. We think that the students there are fantastic. We try to be creative in getting to know the students at BU. To do this, we give tours and have students meet with our managers as well.”

Spiess said he expects future employment of graduates to change in the next few years.

“Employment will get better because Boston is much more globally connected now than before,” he said. “I’m optimistic.”

Shannon Hynes, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said she would like to stay in Boston for her first job after graduation.

“I want to get a job in Boston somewhere, hopefully working through a company doing PR or for a PR agency. It depends on what’s available,” she said.

Laura Kidder, a freshman in the School of Management, said job opportunities will determine her future place of residence.

“I would stay in Boston if I got a job with any Boston sports team,” she said. “If not, I want to go back to the Bay Area. I think that the Bay Area has a lot more to offer me in terms of companies and doing what I want to do.”

Sam Black, a freshman in the college of Engineering, said he expects to move after he graduates.

“After I graduate I want to try to go to grad school. If I were to get a job, I’d like to stay in New England or go to California depending on where I get the job,” he said. “I’ll probably end up moving.”