First destinations for the college Class of 2019: findings and analysis

For most, college is an investment in the future, a pathway to a career, and a launching point for one's professional life. The initial step following the attainment of a degree is just that - the first destination among, presumably, a series of destinations over the evolution of a career. This report examines the initial step - the first destination. This, the sixth iteration of annual survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), examines the initial landing spot for [US] Class of 2019 graduates. The report provides a baseline for assessing where graduates at all degree levels - from the associate through the doctoral level - fared in the six months that followed graduation. This report contains information about employment outcomes, starting salaries, and continuing education for graduates at all levels, but provides the most insight into the first destinations of bachelor's degree graduates and, to a lesser degree, of those earning master's degrees. Because of the amount of data available for these groups, we are also able to address outcomes by region and by controlling authority of the institution (public versus private); for bachelor's degree graduates, we are also able to look at outcomes by size of school, Carnegie Classification, and academic discipline.

Excerpt from publication. Show less