Searching for best colleges for jobs? The Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS) was recently released by Times Higher Education, a human resources consultancy, to provide a snapshot of how well universities around the world are preparing their graduates for work and has become one of the most highly regarded university rankings by international employers and the best colleges for jobs. The list has become among the most valued by global employers and is highly informative when choosing a university. What does this ranking provide us with regarding selecting a university? Let’s take a look at it.
Top universities in the world for employability
| Rank 2025 | Rank 2024 | University | Country/region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | US |
| 2 | 1 | California Institute of Technology | US |
| 3 | 3 | Stanford University | US |
| 4 | 5 | Harvard University | US |
| 5 | 4 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 6 | 6 | Princeton University | US |
| 7 | 8 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 8 | 7 | The University of Tokyo | Japan |
| 9 | 9 | National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| 10 | 11 | Imperial College London | UK |
| 11 | 14 | Peking University | China |
| 12 | 10 | Yale University | US |
| 13 | 13 | Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| 14 | 12 | University of Toronto | Canada |
| 15 | 16 | Columbia University | US |
| 16 | 20 | University of California, Berkeley | US |
| 17 | 15 | ETH Zurich | Switzerland |
| 18 | 18 | IE University | Spain |
| 19 | 21 | Tsinghua University | China |
| 20 | 19 | CentraleSupélec – Paris Saclay University | France |
| 21 | 26 | Carnegie Mellon University | US |
| 22 | 22 | HEC Paris | France |
| 23 | 24 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | UK |
| 24 | 29 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| 25 | 17 | New York University | US |
| 26 | 28 | Ecole Polytechnique – Institut Polytechique de Paris | France |
| 27 | 23 | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 28 | 27 | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | India |
| 29 | 30 | Duke University | US |
| 30 | 32 | Australian National University | Australia |
| 31 | 31 | McGill University | Canada |
| 32 | 33 | Tokyo Institute of Technology | Japan |
| 33 | 35 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore |
| 34 | 25 | Boston University | US |
| 35 | 39 | Shangai Jiao Tong University | China |
| 36 | 36 | University of British Columbia | Canada |
| 37 | 38 | Kyoto University | Japan |
| 38 | 37 | University of Navarra | Spain |
| 39 | 41 | London Business School | UK |
| 40 | 49 | The University of Chicago | US |
| 41 | 34 | Arizona State University (Tempe) | US |
| 42 | 44 | EMLyon Business School | France |
| 43 | 43 | University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| 44 | 45 | University of Melbourne | Australia |
| 45 | 46 | Humboldt University of Berlin | Germany |
| 46 | 51 | Fudan University | China |
| 47 | 55 | Indian Institute of Science | India |
| 48 | 50 | Sorbonne University | France |
| 49 | 42 | Johns Hopkins University | US |
| 50 | 65 | Université Paris-Saclay | France |
Top universities in the US for employability
| US Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2024 | University | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | California Institute of Technology | California |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | Stanford University | California |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | Harvard University | Massachusetts |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | Princeton University | New Jersey |
| 6 | 12 | 10 | Yale University | Connecticut |
| 7 | 15 | 16 | Columbia University | New York |
| 8 | 16 | 20 | University of California, Berkeley | California |
| 9 | 21 | 26 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania |
| 10 | 25 | 17 | New York University | New York |
| 11 | 29 | 30 | Duke University | North Carolina |
| 12 | 34 | 25 | Boston University | Massachusetts |
| 13 | 40 | 49 | The University of Chicago | Illinois |
| 14 | 41 | 34 | Arizona State University (Tempe) | Arizona |
| 15 | 49 | 42 | Johns Hopkins University | Maryland |
| 16 | 52 | 60 | Dartmouth College | New Hampshire |
| 17 | 54 | 54 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia |
| 18 | 70 | 78 | Brown University | Rhode Island |
| 19 | 74 | 84 | Cornell University | New York |
| 20 | 76 | 77 | Florida Institute of Technology | Florida |
| 21 | 81 | 82 | University of California, Los Angeles | California |
| 22 | 115 | 109 | Rice University | Texas |
| =23 | =116 | NR | University of Texas at Austin | Texas |
| =23 | =116 | 115 | Texas A&M University | Texas |
| 24 | 117 | 121 | University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| 25 | 124 | 138 | Northwestern University | Illinois |
| 26 | 126 | 107 | Tufts University | Massachusetts |
| 27 | 129 | 126 | Boston College | Massachusetts |
| 28 | 145 | 151 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Michigan |
| 29 | 146 | 149 | Northeastern University | Illinois |
| 30 | 149 | 145 | Michigan State University | Michigan |
| 31 | 154 | 176 | Babson College | Massachusetts |
| 32 | 156 | 157 | University of California, San Francisco | California |
| 33 | 161 | 163 | University of Southern California | California |
| 34 | 164 | 153 | Georgetown University | Washington DC |
| 35 | 172 | 172 | Emory University | Georgia |
| 36 | 173 | 174 | University of California, San Diego | California |
| 37 | 175 | 182 | Purdue University West Lafayette | Indiana |
| 38 | 178 | 168 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina |
| 39 | 182 | 183 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Illinois |
| 40 | 183 | 179 | University of Florida | Florida |
Top universities in the UK for employability
| UK Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2024 | University | City/town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 4 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge |
| 2 | 7 | 8 | University of Oxford | Oxford |
| 3 | 10 | 11 | Imperial College London | London |
| 4 | 23 | 24 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | London |
| 5 | 39 | 41 | London Business School | London |
| 6 | 64 | 68 | King’s College London | London |
| 7 | 65 | 67 | University of Manchester | Manchester |
| 8 | 128 | 137 | UCL | London |
| 9 | 142 | 139 | University of St Andrews | St Andrews |
| 10 | 148 | 147 | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh |
| 11 | 169 | 180 | University of Birmingham | Birmingham |
| 12 | 187 | 189 | Cardiff University | Cardiff |
| 13 | 202 | 203 | Durham University | Durham |
Top universities in Australia for employability
| Australia Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | 32 | Australian National University | Canberra |
| 2 | 44 | 45 | University of Melbourne | Melbourne |
| 3 | 62 | 59 | University of Sydney | Sydney |
| 4 | 95 | 98 | The University of Queensland | Brisbane |
| 5 | 107 | 111 | UNSW Sydney | Sydney |
| 6 | 108 | 113 | Monash University | Melbourne |
| 7 | 157 | 161 | University of Technology Sydney | Sydney |
| 8 | 190 | 191 | Macquarie University | Sydney |
| 9 | 201 | 206 | Queensland University of Technology | Brisbane |
Top universities in Canada for employability
| Canada Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 12 | University of Toronto | Toronto |
| 2 | 31 | 31 | McGill University | Montreal |
| 3 | 36 | 36 | University of British Columbia | Vancouver |
| 4 | 84 | 72 | University of Montreal/HEC | Montreal |
| 5 | 88 | 85 | McMaster University | Hamilton |
| 6 | 170 | 169 | University of Alberta | Edmonton |
| 7 | 181 | 178 | University of Ottawa | Ottawa |
| 8 | 186 | 185 | University of Victoria | Victoria |
| 9 | 193 | 190 | University of Waterloo | Waterloo |
| 10 | 194 | 195 | Toronto Metropolitan University | Toronto |
Ranking Methodology
The Global Employability University Rankings (GEURS) is the only ranking of the best colleges for getting a job based solely on direct employer assessment.
Survey participants undergo a meticulous screening and selection process, overseen by over 11,560 global employers from 21 countries and territories, and list best universities to get a job. These employers are tasked with evaluating the employment performance of over 1,000 universities worldwide, with each participant having up to 10 votes.
Who Vote
Recruit or manage more than five graduates every year, and 71.4% recruit or manage more than ten graduates.
All voters have more than five years’ experience, and 64.8% have more than ten years’ experience.
Employability Indicators
- Specialisation
- Graduate Skills
- Focus on Work Expertise
- Academic Performance
- Social Impact & Leadership
- Internationality
Employers are not only focusing on the professional and academic strengths of graduates but also placing increasing emphasis on students’ personal strengths, such as problem-solving, cooperation, communication, creativity, leadership, and social impact.
Highest employment rates after college by states
Even though you’ve learned about the best employability universityies US, how to pick the right college for you? In fact, employment rates are also strongly correlated with location. Below is a list of employment rates in major U.S. states by location.
Western States
| Rank | US States | Employment Rates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 98% |
| 2 | Idaho | 97.5% |
| 3 | Montana | 97.4% |
| 4 | Wyoming | 96.9% |
| 5 | Colorado | 96.6% |
| 6 | Oregon | 96.4% |
| 7 | Washington | 96.1% |
| 8 | California | 95.8% |
| 9 | Hawaii | 95.7% |
| 10 | Alaska | 95.4% |
| 11 | Nevada | 95.3% |
Midwestern States
| Rank | US States | Employment Rates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 98.2% |
| 2 | Nebraska | 98.1% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 97.7% |
| 4 | Indiana and Kansas | 97.6% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 97.5% |
| 6 | Iowa | 97.4% |
| 7 | Missouri | 97.2% |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 97.1% |
| 9 | Ohio | 96.1% |
| 10 | Michigan | 95.7% |
| 11 | Illinois | 95.5% |
Southwestern States
| Rank | US States | Employment Rates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 97.1% |
| 2 | Arizona | 96.7% |
| 3 | Texas | 95.9% |
| 4 | New Mexico | 95.1% |
Southeastern States
| Rank | US States | Employment Rates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 97.4% |
| 2 | Florida and Virginia | 97.2% |
| 3 | Georgia | 97.1% |
| 4 | Arkansas and South Carolina | 96.8% |
| 5 | Tennessee | 96.7% |
| 6 | North Carolina | 96.6% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 96.4% |
| 8 | Kentucky | 96.3% |
| 9 | Louisiana and Mississippi | 96.2% |
| 10 | Delaware and Maryland | 95.5% |
| 11 | Washington D.C. | 94.5% |
Northeastern States
| Rank | US States | Employment Rates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 98% |
| 2 | Vermont | 97.8% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 97.3% |
| 4 | Maine | 97% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 96.3% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 96.1% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 96% |
| 8 | New York | 95.6% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 95.5% |
Best Colleges for Jobs in the USA (details)
There is an increasing demand for STEM talents in the job market. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, CS talents are highly sought after in various fields such as finance, science and technology, and business. This has helped improve the job placement rate for colleges.
According to the National Association of College and University Employers (NACE) survey, the employment rate of popular science and engineering majors exceeds 80%, and the average starting salary of 2023 engineering graduates is as high as $74,405, which is synonymous with “high salary”.
In this survey, nearly 49% of the top 50 colleges and universities are known for STEM and digital-related majors. Caltech, MIT, UCB, Stanford, CMU, Georgia Tech, and many other polytechnic leading schools, the employment power can be almost on a par with the Ivy League.
California Institute of Technology
It is the favourite of employers worldwide in this survey. Its strengths in math, science, and engineering are clear, with a perennial 1:3 student-to-faculty ratio, superb research conditions, and state-of-the-art research facilities, where students not only learn the fundamentals of science and engineering disciplines but are also equipped with the most innovative tools to solve some of society’s most pressing challenges. Thus, Caltech is one of the best colleges for jobs.
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science is one of the best employability universityies US, with world-class faculty and research programmes. CMU has made breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and distributed systems. Its Silicon Valley campus puts students closer to the heart of the tech industry, offering strong connections to tech companies and internship opportunities.
Babson College
Babson College is one of the best colleges for getting a job. Although it is neither a comprehensive nor a liberal arts college, it is a solid business school. The school is not ranked in the U.S.News Comprehensive University Rankings because it focuses on business education and entrepreneurship. It is the first business school in the United States to receive the Triple Crown of Accreditation (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS), and its undergraduate entrepreneurship programme has been ranked No. 1 in the U.S. by U.S. News for more than 20 consecutive years, and has been known as the “Cradle of Entrepreneurs”. The most prominent feature of Babson College’s business programme is that it is closely connected with enterprises and has an intense entrepreneurial atmosphere. Its alums are mainly CEOs and founders of various companies, such as Roger Enrico, President of PepsiCo, and Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Group.
University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco represents the best universities to get a job in the U.S. Its undergraduate education is known for its focus on entrepreneurship. It is known as the cradle of Chinese chairpersons, and the school has produced many famous entrepreneurs, such as the president of Intel, the co-founder of Starbucks Coffee, and the founder of Adobe. The school’s business school was named one of the world’s best 100 business schools by The Wall Street Journal, and its Entrepreneurship program is ranked No. 1 in California ahead of top schools such as Stanford University and UCLA.
Arizona State University
U.S. News has named Arizona State University “America’s Most Innovative” for six consecutive years. Arizona State University has ranked among the top research universities in the United States for many years. It has been categorised by the Carnegie Classification of Colleges and Universities as a “High Research Activity Research University”. “With its strong faculty, Arizona State University is also known as “the university with the highest research density among state universities in the U.S.“, and the strength of popular majors such as science and technology, business and other disciplines are noteworthy.
Why They are Best Colleges for Getting a Job
Good Location
Suppose the school is close to Silicon Valley, the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, Wall Street, and other ideally located tech parks or financial districts. In that case, there are great resources for internships and jobs. Stanford University, University of San Francisco, for example, is very close to many world-renowned tech companies in the Silicon Valley area, including Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and others. The school maintains strong ties with the Silicon Valley industry, including collaborative projects, research partnerships, and career opportunities.
University of Washington, located in Seattle, Washington, is backed by famous companies such as Microsoft and Amazon, and nearly half of its alums are known to have joined Microsoft and Amazon.
With its excellent geographical advantage, Rutgers University is “favoured” by Wall Street. The school is surrounded by many top banks, financial institutions and investment firms, and students have more than 5,000 internships each year with famous companies such as Citigroup and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Abundant Career Resources Aids
Caltech‘s on-campus Career Center provides students with a wealth of networking opportunities, organises two job fairs each year, and provides students with resume revision, career counselling, mock interviews, and other services to help students find employment successfully.
Stanford University also gives excellent support to students in entrepreneurship, not only according to the student’s professional settings, planning different directions of focus on practical guidance courses, but also setting up a variety of entrepreneurial training programmes for students to participate in; the school has a career guidance centre, providing students with paid internships in top companies.
University of Florida encourages students to visit the Career Connections Center early in their college experience. The CCC provides detailed and comprehensive assistance with everything from choosing a major to determining a career plan. The university uses an interactive online tool to help students identify job interests and values, contact career advisors to guide individual meetings, and provide personalised advice. Students can experience different careers during their college years through opportunities offered by CCC, which include internships, part-time jobs, and other service projects. All of them can be called the best colleges for job placement.
Strong Alumni Connections
According to Henley & Partners, 44.8 per cent of US billionaires graduated from elite schools. A US salary website PayScale survey also shows that the average income level of graduates of Ivy League schools is much higher than that of other universities.
This is due to a high-quality education platform and rich educational resources, as well as the fact that prestigious schools have a wider network of contacts.
As we all know, careers colleges, also called colleges with career prospects, are usually designated as target schools by some top technology companies, investment banks, etc. Not only are there more recruitment positions and more focused recruitment opportunities, but they can also establish cooperation and contact with industry authorities, making them naturally more competitive in employment after graduation.
Take the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for example. The school has established in-depth partnerships with many well-known companies in computers, biotechnology, finance, etc., and students have internships in companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook even before graduation. The school often holds job fairs, and students can connect with alumni in various fields on LinkedIn.
Georgetown University is known as the “politician’s paradise.” and has a very well-developed alumni network with extensive and high-quality alumni resources; many alumni return to their alma mater every year to hold job fairs or provide internal promotion places.
Conclusion
For most students, employment is the first and foremost issue they face after graduation, so the best colleges for jobs are often their first choice. From the moment you enter university, you need to prepare for the future with employment as your primary goal. Therefore, when choosing a university, it’s necessary to look at the university rankings by employability. Students need to consider that, besides the curriculum, school location, national/regional culture, and other important reference factors.
Our advice to you is to consider your interest in your field of study, consider your future direction, and choose a university that is a good match for you.
FAQ
According to the latest statistics, Massachusetts Institue of Technology (MIT) is the best university for employability in the world.
In general, universities with strong S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programmes, such as Caltech and Stanford University, are the best universities to get a job.
Times Higher Education (THE) has recently released the rankings of the best universities for getting a job. TOP3 are included:
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT)
- Stanford University
- Employment guidance: Colleges and universities carry out employment research, promote employment, improve students’ vocational ability through practical teaching and quality education, carry out targeted employment psychological guidance, and achieve seamless connections between schools and enterprises.
- Quality of college education: A first-class college education can provide high-quality learning resources and training opportunities, so that students have strong professional ability and employment competitiveness.
- Matching between major settings and market demand: the matching between major settings and market demand directly affects the employment prospects of graduates. Colleges and universities should timely adjust major settings and add new majors to meet the market demand.
- Professional knowledge: Graduates have knowledge and practical skills in specific fields.
- Graduate skills: Such as critical thinking, communication skills and problem solving skills.
- Digital thinking: The ability to adapt to the digital transformation of the workplace.
- International: The ability to work in a global work environment and collaborate with diverse cultures.
- Professional: Deep expertise and academic performance combined with practical experience.
- Academic Excellence: High academic performance reflects an individual’s ability to apply knowledge and perform effectively in an academic environment.
The highest-paying school in the world is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its graduates have the highest mid-career salary of $196,900.
