Spotlight for Career Services Professionals
Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
First-destination outcomes for the Class of 2017 bachelor’s degree graduates might be summed up in one phrase: Déjà vu.
Results from the annual First-Destination Survey show that 63.7 percent of 2017 graduates at the bachelor’s-degree level were employed. That is nearly identical to the 63.5 percent of 2016 graduates who were employed within six months of graduation. In fact, across most outcomes—including percent continuing education, those serving in the military, and average and median starting salaries—the results for both classes are closely aligned.
The biggest difference—less than 1 percentage point—appears to be among those still seeking an outcome, with fewer 2017 graduates reporting this outcome. (See Figure 1.)
The Class of 2017 First-Destination Survey covers those graduating from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017, and was conducted July 1 – December 30, 2017. Approximately 375 colleges and universities took part. Data were reported to NACE through April 2018. At the bachelor’s-degree level, data were collected for 549,664 graduates, representing nearly 30 percent of the 2017 graduating class at that level. This is the fourth college class for which outcomes data have been collected and reported on a national level.
Results of the survey will be presented during a free webinar in October. (Register here.) In addition, the full report for the Class of 2017, featuring data for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level degrees, will be available later this fall through the NACE website. View complete results for the Class of 2016 here.
Figure 1: First-destination outcomes, Classes of 2016 and 2017
| Results |
Class of 2016 |
Class of 2017 |
| Total Graduates |
515,837 |
549,664 |
| Knowledge Rate |
63.2% |
64.5% |
| Career Outcomes Percentage |
83.7% |
84.4% |
| Percent Employed Overall |
63.5 |
63.7% |
| Percent employed full time |
57.9% |
57.8% |
| Percent employed part time |
5.6% |
5.9% |
| Percent Continuing Education |
17.5% |
17.5% |
| Percent Seeking Outcome |
16.1% |
15.4% |
| Percent Not Seeking |
1.6% |
1.7% |
| Mean Starting Salary |
$49,525 |
$50,253 |
| Median Starting Salary |
$48,044 |
$48,273 |
Source: Class of 2017 First-Destination Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers