National Association of Colleges and Employers
NACE Research has a long-standing history of supporting the field with quantitative research; forecasting hiring trends in the job market; tracking starting salaries of recent college graduates; providing operational benchmarks; and driving national first-destination initiatives.
Primary research reports are administered annually to assist professionals in the career services and university relations and recruiting fields in making data-driven decisions; identifying new opportunities; comparing progress year-over-year; and forecasting growth for the future.
NACE research reports provide unique insight into the NACE member universe: career service professionals, who prepare students for graduation and beyond; university relations and recruiting professionals, who actively recruit college students and graduates; and business affiliates, who provide products and services relevant to these professions.
Experts in the field of research, NACE can also analyze customized data for organizations who would like to dive deeper into a particular area of interest. Options include additional analysis of existing NACE reports, like Salary Survey, Job Outlook, and the new Recruiting Compensation Benchmark Report, as well as a separate, custom reports on diversity statistics; school selection; peer institutions; and employer branding.
Fully-commissioned, primary research is also available to organizations interested in having NACE develop, administer, and analyze a custom research survey to a specific audience on their behalf.
Below is the schedule for NACE’s primary research studies. Special projects, quick polls, and other research efforts are undertaken on an as-needed basis.
Who participates in NACE surveys? In general, surveys are distributed to NACE member organizations/institutions. One individual is designated to respond to the survey on behalf of the organization/institution. All members at the participating organization/institution have access to a complimentary copy of the report.
| EMPLOYER SURVEYS | DATA COLLECTION | APPROX. RELEASE DATES | FREE TO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary Survey (Winter Report) | October - November | January | All NACE members |
| Job Outlook Spring Update | February – March | April | All, including public |
| Recruiting Benchmarks | Mid-April – May *Note: Collected in 2025, 2027, 2029 |
August | Participating NACE members |
| Recruiting Compensation Survey | Mid- April – May *Note: Collected in 2024, 2026, 2028 |
August | Participating NACE members |
| Job Outlook, Fall Report | August – September | November | All, including public |
| Internship & Co-op Benchmarks AND Compensation Survey | October - December | March | Participating NACE members |
*Note: Beginning in fall 2022, benchmarks and compensation data will be collected separately and on an every-other-year basis.
| COLLEGE SURVEYS | DATA COLLECTION | APPROX. RELEASE DATES | FREE TO |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Destination Survey – (Grad and undergrad) | January – April (Schools report data to NACE) | September | All, including public |
| Salary Survey (Summer Report) | January – April (Based on First-Destination Survey results) | August | All NACE members |
| Student Survey | March – May | September | Participating NACE members |
| Career Services Benchmarks Survey | October – November *Note: Collected in 2024, 2026, 2028 |
February | Participating NACE members |
| Career Services Professional Staff Compensation Survey | October – November *Note: Collected in 2025, 2027, 2029 |
February | Participating NACE members |
*Note: Beginning in fall 2022, benchmarks and compensation data will be collected separately and on an every-other-year basis.
Contact NACE Research at research@naceweb.org, 610.625.1025.
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