Survey: Most Ohio college students plan to leave - Business First of Columbus:

Survey: Most Ohio college students plan to leave - Business First of Columbus:

More than half of the students at Ohio colleges surveyed by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute plan to leave the state after graduation, the organization said Monday.

The institute conducted an online survey of 811 sophomores, juniors and seniors in February and March, along with three focus groups. The students were from Case Western Reserve, Kent State University, Miami University, Oberlin College, Ohio State University, Ohio University and the University of Dayton.

The result: 58 percent – 51 percent of in-state students and 79 percent of out-of-staters – said they will look elsewhere for jobs after graduation. Among the study's findings:

• 89 percent said they want to live in a place where good jobs are available, but only 11 percent rated Ohio’s job prospects as excellent.

• Those expecting to leave the state after graduation also cited cultural and leisure activities as important factors in where they will choose to live.

• 74 percent want a job with good opportunities for pay and promotion, while 53 percent thought a job that offered ongoing new challenges was more important.

• 61 percent want a job with good retirement benefits, while 14 percent said a union job would be a deciding factor.

The survey also asked students what incentives might persuade them to stay in the state:

• 60 percent liked the idea of a cash grant for a down payment on a house.

• Most said job experience like internships (60 percent), co-op programs (53 percent) and opportunities to meet with Ohio companies (52 percent) would help keep them at home.

• 65 percent said Ohio should offer a 10-year state income tax credit to remain in the state.

“We need our best and brightest to invest their energy and future in Ohio to generate the economic vigor, new technologies and other economic developments that will spur the progress we need to modernize and prosper,” said Terry Ryan, the institute’s vice president for Ohio programs and policy, in a news release.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is an education policy think tank with offices in Dayton and Washington, D.C.