The NACE First-Destination Survey:
Class of 2014

Highlights: What Happened to the College Class of 2014?

  • More than half of bachelor’s degree graduates were employed full time.
  • 16.4 percent were continuing their education.
  • Those earning degrees in career-oriented majors were most likely to be employed full time, while graduates in the liberal arts and sciences were most likely to aim for a place in graduate or professional school.
  • Approximately 14 percent were still seeking employment; nearly 4 percent were still seeking to continue their education.
  • Overall, the median starting salary was $45,478.

Executive Summary Definitions and Detailed Results
Download First-Destination Class of 2014 Executive Summary

First-Ever National Survey of College Graduate Outcomes

NACE’s Class of 2014 First-Destination Survey is the first-ever national survey focused on outcomes of new college graduates. It represents the inaugural survey in what is an annual initiative to provide clear, concise, and consistent data on the outcomes associated with a college education on a national scale.

More than 200 colleges and universities nationwide, representing 274,000 graduates—including more than one-quarter of a million bachelor’s degree graduates—provided data for Class of 2014 associate and bachelor’s degree graduates. (Class of 2014 is defined as those graduating from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.) Overall, data were reported for nearly 175,000 bachelor’s degree graduates, making this study the most comprehensive view of bachelor’s degree outcomes available. The study provides data for 31 broad disciplines and 190 majors.

Beginning with the Class of 2015, the survey will include outcomes data for advanced-degree graduates.