By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

The University of Hawai'i's brain drain is growing.

That's one of the findings of the latest UH Alumni Outcomes Survey, which also found that fewer students are taking five years to get their degrees and more students are going on for graduate training.

A comparison with past surveys shows there has been a steadily increasing brain drain of new UH graduates from Hawai'i in the past decade.

Although the survey conducted by the Office of the Vice President for Planning and Policy shows that 69.5 percent of graduates who responded are working on O'ahu, there has also been a steady increase in the percentage of alumni working on the Mainland, with the number rising 8.3 percent since 1994.

In the same period, there was an 8.6 percent drop in graduates landing jobs on O'ahu.

The university has conducted five similar exit surveys, in 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997 and 2000. Of the 2,024 alumni who were mailed surveys this time, 410 responded.

This year's survey shows that changes in the core curriculum that were partially aimed at helping students complete their undergraduate degrees in four years are not yet having that effect.

It took 36.9 percent of the class five years to complete their degrees, slightly lower than previous numbers. By comparison, 40.7 percent of graduates in 2000 took five years to complete their degrees, as did 39 percent in 1997.

The statistics also show that an increasing number of graduates with bachelor's degrees are continuing their education, with education being the most popular field for continued study.

This year, 21 percent of the new UH graduates are going on for graduate training — with some of them also holding jobs. By comparison, in 1994, 10.5 percent went on for advanced degrees.

At the same time, 88 percent of the alumni reported being employed, compared with 90.6 percent in 2000, 90.3 percent in 1997 and 93.1 percent in 1994.

The survey found 86.3 percent of the alumni found a job within six months of finishing their undergraduate degrees.

The results also showed that of those who took jobs, 46.1 percent are earning between $30,000 and $50,000. Graduates in nursing and engineering were among those who had the highest pay, more than $50,000.

Almost three-fourths of the respondents said they planned to continue their careers in the field of their employment. Most — 92.9 percent — said their undergraduate educations at Manoa had prepared them either "adequately" or "very well" for their primary job.

The survey also asked what was "most disappointing" about the Manoa experience. Eighteen percent replied that "instructors/faculty" fell into that category, with course availability getting 17 percent and departments/programs receiving 14.3 percent.

Changes suggested by the respondents included:

• Providing better guidance/advisers.
• Incorporating more practical experience.
• Reviewing and changing core requirements, particularly regarding foreign language and course load. The Manoa core curriculum was revised in 2001, but will have more impact on those in the first years at Manoa than on graduates. The changes broadened the core and reduced many requirements.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.