More Than Two Out of Five of College Class of 2026 Had a Job Offer in Hand by Graduation

BETHLEHEM, PA—More than two out of five new college graduates (44%) had at least one job offer before graduation, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s annual Student Survey found that, overall, 2026 bachelor’s degree graduates averaged 0.79 job offers before graduating.

That’s in line with what the Class of 2025 experienced, but well off the pace set by the post-pandemic bounce enjoyed by graduates in 2022 and 2023. (See Figure 1.)

“What we saw with last year’s class may be happening again this year,” says Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and chief executive officer. “Last year, many employers delayed making job offers until later in the spring. Because students complete our survey before they graduate, it may be that some offers didn’t get recorded by our survey. That could be the case again this year.”

Overall, soon-to-be graduates remain relatively optimistic about their job prospects following graduation, with 56% saying so.

The study also found that students who took part in a paid internship fared better: 55% of those who applied for a job received at least one job offer. In addition, paid interns with job offers were offered a higher average starting salary—$69,521 compared to $61,747 overall.

Pointing to the advantages paid interns reported, VanDerziel says taking part in a paid internship provides the student with a distinct advantage regardless of the job market.

“The job market shifts from one year to the next. Students can’t control that, but there are things they can do to position themselves,” notes VanDerziel.

“First, our research consistently shows that students who have served a paid internship fare better than other students. One of the reasons is that paid interns can be given real work—so they gain valuable experience that is attractive to employers,” he says.

“Another critical piece for students is understanding how to translate their classroom work, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and other experiences into language that will appeal to employers. More and more employers are focusing on skills—not GPA—when they are hiring, so being able to provide examples of skills developed through their college experience is important. The campus career center can help students with that.

“Finally, students should learn how to use AI properly and ethically,” he says. “Employers tell us they want new hires who can use AI to complement their work, and that means understanding how to create effective and accurate prompts, how to check AI’s outputs, and when it is and isn’t appropriate to use AI. Again, many campus career centers are offering guidance on AI that students can take advantage of.”

About the 2026 Student Survey: NACE’s 2026 Student Survey was conducted March 12 – May 15, 2026. More than 17,000 students from 258 colleges and universities nationwide took part, including more than 1,860 graduating seniors; results presented here reflect graduating senior responses.

About the National Association of Colleges and Employers: Established in 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is the only professional association in the United States that connects more than 14,500 college career services professionals, nearly 2,900 early career talent acquisition professionals, and more than 400 business solution providers that serve this community.

NACE is the premier source of market research on career readiness, the employment of recent college graduates, and the college-to-career transition. NACE forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks.

NACE offers its members unparalleled research, networking and professional development opportunities, guidance on standards and ethics, and advocacy on key issues. For more information, visit www.naceweb.org.