Graduate Outcomes

First-Destination Survey: Overview and Reports

NACE’s First-Destination Survey captures information regarding how new college graduates fare in their careers within six months of graduation. The annual initiative provides clear, concise, and consistent data on the outcomes associated with a college education on a national scale.

View the latest results and access historical reports:

First Destinations: 2019 Bachelor’s Degree Graduates Post Gains

February 22, 2021 | By Mimi Collins

GRADUATE OUTCOMES
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For the college Class of 2019, 2019 was a very good year. At the bachelor’s degree level, 59% were employed in full-time positions with a traditional employer—up just a hair from 58.7% in 2018—and nearly 19% were going on for an advanced degree by the end of the year. (See Figure 1.)

Overall, the outcome rate for 2019 bachelor’s degree graduates was 86%—meaning nearly nine out of 10 who were seeking a position/advanced education had one within six months of graduation.

While 2019 graduates saw just a small increase in their employment rate compared to their 2018 counterparts, their gains in salary were substantial: The median salary for 2019 bachelor’s degree graduates employed full time was $52,714 compared with a median of $49,725 in 2018—a 6% increase.

Figure 1: Class of 2019 bachelor’s degree results

Total Graduates
Knowledge Rate
549,97265.6%
Career Outcomes Percentage
549,97286.0%
Percent Employed Overall
549,97264.6%
 Percent Employed Full-time
549,97259.7%
 Percent Employed Part-time
549,9724.9%
 Percent Standard Employment
549,97259.0%
  Percent Standard Employment Full-time
549,97255.3%
  Percent Standard Employment Part-time
549,9723.7%
 Percent Entrepreneur
549,9720.9%
  Percent Entrepreneur Full-time
549,9720.8%
  Percent Entrepreneur Part-time
549,9720.1%
 Percent Temp/Contract Employee
549,9722.0%
  Percent Temp/Contract Employee Full-time
549,9721.5%
  Percent Temp/Contract Employee Part-time
549,9720.5%
 Percent Freelance
549,9720.8%
  Percent Freelance Full-time
549,9720.5%
  Percent Freelance Part-time
549,9720.3%
 Percent Post-Grad Fellowship/Internship
549,9721.9%
  Percent Post-Grad Fellowship/Internship Full-time
549,9721.6%
  Percent Post-Grad Fellowship/Internship Part-time
549,9720.3%
Percent Service
549,9720.8%
Percent Military
549,9720.9%
Percent Continuing Education
549,97218.6%
Percent Seeking Outcome
549,97213.8%
  Percent Seeking Employment
549,97211.1%
  Percent Seeking Continuing Education
549,9722.7%
Not Seeking
549,9721.3%
Mean Starting Salary
549,972$54,488
Median Starting Salary
549,972$52,714
Mean Bonus
549,972$8,240
Median Bonus
549,972$5,584
Total Graduates 549,972
Knowledge Rate 65.6%
Career Outcomes Percentage 86.0%
Percent Employed Overall 64.6%
 Percent Employed Full-time 59.7%
 Percent Employed Part-time 4.9%
 Percent Standard Employment 59.0%
  Percent Standard Employment Full-time 55.3%
  Percent Standard Employment Part-time 3.7%
 Percent Entrepreneur 0.9%
  Percent Entrepreneur Full-time 0.8%
  Percent Entrepreneur Part-time 0.1%
 Percent Temp/Contract Employee 2.0%
  Percent Temp/Contract Employee Full-time 1.5%
  Percent Temp/Contract Employee Part-time 0.5%
 Percent Freelance 0.8%
  Percent Freelance Full-time 0.5%
  Percent Freelance Part-time 0.3%
 Percent Post-Grad Fellowship/Internship 1.9%
  Percent Post-Grad Fellowship/Internship Full-time 1.6%
  Percent Post-Grad Fellowship/Internship Part-time 0.3%
Percent Service 0.8%
Percent Military 0.9%
Percent Continuing Education 18.6%
Percent Seeking Outcome 13.8%
  Percent Seeking Employment 11.1%
  Percent Seeking Continuing Education 2.7%
Not Seeking 1.3%
Mean Starting Salary $54,488
Median Starting Salary $52,714
Mean Bonus $8,240
Median Bonus $5,584

Detailed results of first destinations for 2019 bachelor’s and master’s degree graduates are available through the Class of 2019 Dashboard.

NACE JOBWIRE