NACE surveyed early career professionals about their experiences and attitudes; in this article, we examine the effects of gender on the experiences of early career talent.

The average hourly wage for bachelor’s degree level interns has increased each year over the past 10 years and now stands at $23.04, according to NACE’s 2025 Guide to Compensation for Interns & Co-ops.

Class of 2025 engineering and business graduates at the master’s degree level are expected to see salaries climb 12.5% and 3.1%, respectively, according to results of NACE’s Winter 2025 Salary Survey.

Relocation assistance may be the secret sauce to attracting top-notch interns.

Overall, starting salary projections for the Class of 2025 are something of a mixed bag as projected movement in salaries ranges from a gain of 2.8% for agriculture and natural resources to a decrease of 3.6% for the social sciences.

Graduating students weighing job offers heavily consider the cost of living in each job’s location when making their decision, according to NACE’s 2024 Student Survey report.

The percent of graduating seniors who participated in an internship is the highest that NACE has recorded in the past six years, according to results of NACE’s 2024 Student Survey.

Salaries for college graduates overall continue to climb as, for the second straight year, the increase in average salary for a graduating class has surpassed 7%.

Lifted by average increases that ranged between 3.5% and 4.4%, salaries for all recruiting professionals increased in 2023, while the majority of respondents at all levels received bonuses.

Recent data reveal that systemic barriers continue to limit progress on achieving pay equity for all—yet there are tangible, proven ways that career centers and employers can make an impact.

Consultant Katie Donovan offers tips for employers to eliminate the main causes of pay inequity for women, including that women are underpaid doing the same jobs as men and are underrepresented in leadership roles.

Hourly wages for interns have kept pace with inflation, signaling the value of these programs to employers.

Some have the mistaken idea that credit means internship experiences can’t or shouldn’t be paid. Affecting all students but especially those struggling with finances, unpaid, for-credit internships require the student to pay for the credit and forgo a paycheck. Employers can and should pay their interns, regardless of whether the student gets academic credit for participating.

Recent studies reveal that systemic barriers continue to limit progress on achieving pay equity for all, but there are tangible, proven ways that career centers and employers can make an impact.

There is good news for the Class of 2024: Salary projections for all reported groups of majors are higher than the projections reported for the Class of 2023

NACE’s Job Outlook 2024 survey found that among employers that capture their new hires’ degree modality, 87.4% hired new college graduates with an online degree.

Slightly more than 43% of employers plan to increase starting salaries to Class of 2024 bachelor’s degree graduates, and nearly all remaining employers anticipate keeping salaries at last year’s levels.

What is the value of earning an advanced degree? In terms of salary, some Class of 2022 majors benefited significantly by earning a master’s degree.

The overall average starting salary for Class of 2022 graduates who earned bachelor’s degree is up 7.4%, climbing to $60,028 from $55,911 for the Class of 2021.

Early data from a forthcoming NACE study indicate that the gender pay gap has widened over the past year, with female graduates now earning just 72 cents to every dollar earned by male graduates, down from around 81 cents.

Signed into law in 1963, the Equal Pay Act prohibits pay discrimination based on sex. However, 60 years since the passage of the law, women continue to experience a pay gap, relative to men.

What is the advantage of obtaining a master’s degree? In terms of average starting salary, that advantage has been declining in recent years.

All reported categories of majors at the master’s degree level show projected increases for the Class of 2023.

The average salary projection for computer sciences graduates at the bachelor’s degree level is expected to be lower than last year, but these grads remain in high demand.

The overall average salary for Class of 2021 graduates is $55,911, which is only 1.2% higher than that for the Class of 2020 ($55,260). The fact that the increase in starting salary is small may simply be a case of timing as the Class of 2021 was still experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the job market.

The average hourly wage for 2020-21 bachelor’s level interns and co-ops was identical at $20.82, according to results of NACE’s 2022 Internship & Co-op Survey Report.

When a candidate is put in a situation to name a salary or negotiate a salary provided by the employer, the candidate is not being paid based on their merit and skills but rather on how well they handle a negotiation discussion.

The top-paid categories for Class of 2021 master’s degree graduates were computer sciences and engineering, according to results of NACE’s Summer 2022 Salary Survey, which is the final salary report for the Class of 2021. (See Figure 1.)

"When setting intern salaries, factors such as students’ major, functional area, degree, and year of study are important considerations.

In terms of a college graduate’s starting salary, earning a master’s degree can make a substantial difference.

In comparing both the first destinations and the lifelong professional outcomes for women and men, there are some notable disparities, including in pay. What part can higher ed play in eliminating the gender pay gap?

A study of the average starting salary offers illustrates the imbalance in earning potential between men and women on the basis of academic major.

Management information systems majors are projected to have the highest starting salary among Class of 2020 business graduates earning bachelor’s degrees.

While engineering, computer science, and math and sciences degrees continue to be the highest earning bachelor’s degrees, the individual average projections for these degrees appear to have leveled.

There is very little differentiation in the average salaries for each of the career services positions until one gets to the management level.

Class of 2022 bachelor’s degree graduates earning degrees in the computer sciences are expected to command top dollar, according to the Winter 2022 Salary Survey, published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The DOL has released new guidelines around unpaid internships, replacing the six-part test with the primary beneficiary test.

The final overall average starting salary for the Class of 2019 is $53,889, which is up 5.8 percent over the final average starting salary of $50,944 for the Class of 2018.

Computer sciences majors have the highest starting salary at the master’s-degree level for the Class of 2019, while business grads are the top-paid at the doctoral level.

Transportation and materials moving majors earned the highest average starting salary by far among Class of 2019 associate degree graduates.

The average starting salary projections for all reported categories of majors for Class of 2021 bachelor’s degree graduates show increases, albeit some of them are on the smaller side.

Data from NACE’s Winter 2021 Salary Survey show the value of computer sciences majors in the current job market.

Starting salaries are expected to increase among many master’s degree majors this year.

Nearly 60% of Class of 2019 bachelor’s grads were employed in full-time positions with a traditional employer and nearly 19% were going on for an advanced degree by the end of 2019.

Having a formal policy helps the team in the University of Oregon’s career center team with consistency when considering postings from employers seeking unpaid interns.

The average hourly wage for bachelor’s-level interns has increased steadily since 2014. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, that is the case again this year.

The New College of Florida’s SMAH Internship Program has a twist in its approach that distinguishes it from other programs that fund students’ unpaid internships.

The final overall average starting salary for the college Class of 2020 landed at $55,260—2.5% above the final average starting salary for the Class of 2019.

What value can a master’s degree have over a bachelor’s degree? For certain majors, the differential in starting salaries is substantial.

Talent acquisition professionals provide insight and ideas on topics around internships, such as converting interns to FTEs, internship duration, and more.

Taken from current NACE research, this is an at-a-glance list of average starting salaries for new college graduates (bachelor’s degree level) and director-level career services and recruiting professionals, plus some benefits and expectations information.

starting salary; compensation; master’s degree; doctoral degree; advanced degree; first destination; Class of 2020; Salary Survey

Does salary matter to graduates from the college Class of 2021? No … and yes, according to students responding to NACE’s 2021 Student Survey.

Results from NACE’s First Destinations Survey for the Class of 2020 reveal that the gap in pay between men and women begins right out of college—at the start of the career.

Average starting salary projections for the Class of 2022 range from an increase of 5.4% to a decrease of 14.8%.

There are many factors that contribute to the gender pay gap and severe consequences of long-term inequity in pay.

Increasing salary transparency in general and including information on potential payroll deductions can go a long way towards a more equitable work environment.