Colleges with highest job placement have become essential for students deciding which college to attend. This phenomenon shows that students nowadays are more thoughtful and far-sighted regarding their future paths. This blog will give you detailed information about the importance of job placement, a list of colleges and majors with highest placement rates, and factors that influence college job placements. Keep reading and find out more!
The Importance of Job Placement
Why are career placement rates in colleges important? Well, a job placement rate reflects the number of graduates who become employed in the careers they were trained in, specifically what they learned in their degree. Getting a degree or formal education greatly improves one’s ability to get a job with a competitive salary. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labors Statistics, workers with graduate degrees have the lowest unemployment rates and highest earnings compared to others with less education. Those who attained a bachelor’s degree or higher had median weekly earnings of $1,367. in contrast, those who only gained a college or associate’s degree had a median weekly take-home pay of $856. So, choosing a college with highest job placement is the primary concern. However, not all schools offer the same competitive job placement. Analyzing and comparing the best colleges for job placement in USA can help students decide where to go.
Top List of Colleges with Highest Placement in USA
You may wonder what best colleges are for getting a job, we give you the answer below. Some top universities have some of the most innovative technologies of today, such as 3D printing and bionic prostheses like MIT, and provide networking sessions and periodic career fairs to assist students in finding jobs like CIT; these all increase career placement rates in colleges. The list below is based on the evaluation of graduate employability from THE.
| University | State | US Employability Rank 2025 | Global Employability Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | 1 | 1 |
| California Institute of Technology | California | 2 | 2 |
| Stanford University | California | 3 | 3 |
| Harvard University | Massachusetts | 4 | 4 |
| Princeton University | New Jersey | 5 | 6 |
| Yale University | Connecticut | 6 | 12 |
| Columbia University | New York | 7 | 15 |
| University of California, Berkeley | California | 8 | 16 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania | 9 | 21 |
| New York University | New York | 10 | 25 |
| Duke University | North Carolina | 11 | 29 |
| Boston University | Massachusetts | 12 | 34 |
Overall Colleges with Best Job Placement Rates
Based on information from the US Department of Education College Scorecard Data, the list below shows colleges with best highest placement rates, some other information you may want to know like median earnings and acceptance rate are also mentioned. Below, we have listed the top 10 colleges with highest job placement rates.
- Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut)
Median earnings: $55,500
Placement rate: 96.10%
Acceptance rate: 88%
Quinnipiac University is one of the best colleges for job placement. With approximately 6,800 undergraduates, Quinnipiac University is a private non-profit school known for its Law, medicine, business, health sciences, communications, and nursing programs. With 58 undergraduate majors, this institution attaches great importance to career development and is one of the colleges with job placement programs that deliver results.
- Augustana University (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Median earnings: $45,900
Placement rate: 96.05%
Acceptance rate: 69%
Augustana University is a smaller, more intimate, private Lutheran University located on a picturesque wooded campus. It has a selection of more than 100 majors and minors and is known for its nursing, biology, business administration, elementary education, and psychology programs. They have pre-professional specializations and provide massive internship opportunities as well.
- Ohio Northern University (Ada, Ohio)
Median earnings: $71,200
Placement rate: 95.86%
Acceptance rate: 69%
Ohio Northern University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it has been around since 1871 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers over 60 programs across five colleges and individual career counseling at every stage of the job-seeking journey. The post-graduation median salary can reach impressively 71k.
- Stonehill College (Easton, Massachusetts)
Median earnings: $71,200
Placement rate: 95.83%
Acceptance rate: 72%
Located in Eason, Massachusetts, between Boston and Providence, It’s a private Roman Catholic Institution with Georgian-style architecture. Its motto is Lux et Spes (Light and Hope), This college also provides students with many internships and career opportunities.
- Lebanon Valley College (Annville, Pennsylvania)
Median earnings: $53,600
Placement rate: 95.63%
Acceptance rate: 77.8%
Lebanon Valley College is a great option for those who want to pursue a science-related degree. It’s one of the four remaining institutions founded by the United Brethren in Christ Church. This private United Methodist Institution is best known for its science department, small inclusive class size, and it has title “best bang for your buck top Maters Universities”
- Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Median earnings: $62,600
Placement rate: 95.55%
Acceptance rate: 86%
Private Jesuit Research University in Milwaukee with an extensive range of degrees for both undergraduate and graduate programs. It is best known for its nursing, liberal arts, communications, education, health science, law, and engineering programs. Ranked the 83rd best national university, Marquette prioritizes internships to help students get the practical experience they need.
- Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Illinois)
Median earnings: $60,500
Placement rate: 95.45%
Acceptance rate: 45%
Illinois Wesleyan University is a private liberal college of arts that has more than 80 majors, minors and areas of study to choose from it. It also offers 700 study-abroad programs and offers internships outside the U.S. to broaden employment prospects and experiences. Their career guidance counselors help students explore their interests and hone in on their future careers.
- Providence College (Providence, Rhode Island)
Median earnings: $64,100
Placement rate: 95.28%
Acceptance rate: 58%
As a small private Catholic College with nearly 5,000 undergraduates, it has an impressively competitive acceptance rate. Providence College is well known for its business and development of Western Civilization program, as well as inviting and lively campus life. Beyond that, there are plenty of top-notch majors and minors that students can get into. They have career services including mock interview,s supportive alumni networks, and customized career counseling.
- Saint Anselm College (Manchester, New Hampshire)
Median earnings: $54,600
Placement rate: 95,21%
Acceptance rate: 78%
Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college known for being the home to national presidential debates and passionate professors.it also ranks 16th in the Princeton Review for best homemade college food.
- John’s University (Queens, New York)
Median earnings: $48,000
Placement rate: 95.16%
Acceptance rate: 85%
Located in Queens, Saint John’s University is a private Catholic University with the goal to serve the growing immigrant population with exemplary higher education. Being a top New York law school for a bar exam success rate of 88%, the university also offers students broad resources and provides them with the opportunity to enjoy New York City.
The Ivy League Institution
The list of colleges with best career placement rates mentioned above dose not include the Ivy League institutions. But that doesn’t mean that they have non-ideal graduate job placement. On the contrary, those who graduated from Ivy League institutions have relatively good employment destination and earnings. For example, Princeton University graduates can earn an average early career salary of $81,800 annually. They didn’t show up in the list because it’s hard to track their outcomes, many of their graduates go on to attend graduate school or professional school instead of directly into the workforce, graduates pursue further education immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees, which affects their job placement statistics. For example, 83% of Harvard undergraduates choose to enroll in post-tertiary institutions. So, the Ivy Institution is not on list.
Top 10 Majors with Highest Job Placement Rates
Majors can be one of the decisive factors in impacting college job placements. Some majors are easier to get a job while others not. According to statistics, the following majors have a high chance of landing a job quickly after graduating. They are in great demand in society.
- Elementary Education
In the USA, elementary education is rather important and in shortage, people majoring in this field can easily find a job, and they only have a 1.2% unemployment rate.
- Medical Technicians
Majoring in Medical Technicians can be clinical laboratory technologists and technicians or emergency medical technicians. Graduates in this field are also in demand.
- Miscellaneous Education
Except for elementary education, those who are education majors are in great demand overall. Graduates have a 98.5 % job placement rate.
- Construction Services
Due to the growing development of the construction industry in the U.S. since 2014, the industry continues to be strong and in great demand for employees. Graduates majoring in this field have the same high placement rate as those who study miscellaneous education.
- Secondary Education
College graduates who decided to take this up have employment rate of 98.3%.
- Biochemistry
Biochemistry is a relatively small field, but it is one of the most in-demand, fastest growing and most promising STEW careers in the United States. According to recent data, it has a 1.7% unemployment rate.
- Nursing
Nursing is another major in the healthcare field that is most likely to find a job after graduating. The employment rate reaches 98.3% due to the lack of nurses and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.
- General Education
Teachers have become a hot job option, those who took up this major only have a 1.7% unemployment rate.
- Industrial Engineering
The Unites States is in dire need of industrial engineers as well. Students who finished a degree in industrial engineering can find jobs easily, they have a relatively high employment rate of 98.3%.
- Special Education
Schools and specialized institutions serving children with special needs are looking for more teachers. College graduates who finish special education are quickly hired, and the major only has a 1.9% unemployment rate.
Factors Influencing College Job Placement
There are several factors that influence job placement rates, analyzing these factors can help you better understand job placement conditions and make a wise choice.
Career Services: usually career services is fully provided in colleges, these career services include resume reviews, mock interviews, and career counseling, they provide students with detailed information about job placement condition, such as contemporary employment rate, employment destinations, etc. A complete and strong career services prepare students for future job hunting and connect them with potential employers.
On-campus Recruitment: colleges host job fairs and on-campus interview periodically provide students with opportunities that directly connect with employers, and increase the colleges’ placement rate.
Industry Partnership: some colleges have an intimate relationship with companies and organizations, in return, these employers tend to hire more employees from these close partner colleges.
Internship Opportunities: many employers think highly of internship experiences. Colleges that provide more internship chances for students to practice and make them more competitive and outstanding in the job market. In the end leading to a job offer after graduating.
Academic Reputation: colleges with a prestigious reputation in specific fields can receive more acknowledgement from employers, thus can get a job more easily than those have no reputation.
College Accreditation: many colleges may not as high reputation as those like Ivy League, but good accreditation can also guarantee job placement rate. Accreditation ensures students graduate from this colleges receive high standard curriculum, occupational development, they also can be prioritized by employers.
College Majors: what major you are studying can also be an important factor impacting the overall college job placement, some majors are not in highly demand in the society which lead to low job placement rate for a college.
Top Majors with Highest Unemployment Rates
As mentioned above, what major you are studying can be an vital factor to your future job placement. Here, we listed the top majors with highest unemployment rates.
- General Social Sciences
Students studying general social science can be relatively hard to find a job, graduates have the highest unemployment rate of 8.5%
- Physics
With an 8% unemployment rate, United States society does not seem to be a great demand for physics majors.
- Public Policy and Law
It is unsuitable for those without affirmative intention to work in politics or be government officials, the unemployment rate can reach 6.3%.
- Mass Media
Mass media graduates are unfortunately not the most in-demand field. It is one of the least employable with a 6.2% unemployment rate.
- Political Science
Political science graduates have an unemployment rate of 6.1% .
- Family and Consumer Science
The need for people who are knowledgeable and skilled in helping people make informed decisions in terms of their well-being, resources, and relationships dropped significantly, and graduates have an unemployment rate of 5.8%
- Fine Arts
Fine Arts is not a highly socially inclusive major, graduates can develop their talents only in some specific fields. It has an unemployment rate of 5.5%.
- History
Students majoring in history nowadays may have difficulty landing a job. Not many employers are in dire need of history graduates, the unemployment rate is 5.5%
- Computer Science
Despite plenty of tech companies, computer science graduates seem to be challenged to get employed, and the unemployment rate can reach 5.5%.
- Information Systems & Management
Graduates in this field seems slightly optimistic than those in computer science. The unemployment rate is 5.4%.
How do Career Services and Alumni Networks Enhance Job Placement Outcomes?
Colleges with a complete career services system and active alumni networks provide students with critical support. Career services include customized resume reviews, mock interviews, and personalized counseling, significantly improving graduates’ competitive capacity. Furthermore, supportive alumni networks bring more pragmatic industrious information for graduates and even offer internal opportunities to graduates.
How do Internships Impact Colleges Job Placement Rates?
The internship is a crucial stage for students to transform from campus students to readily social employees. Internship trained students with more practical skills, built their confidence. The number and quality of internship both matters. Students with more internships and high-quality internships closely related to their studies can receive more offers. So, colleges provide students with more internship opportunities have relatively high job placement rates.
FAQS:
According to statistics, Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut has the highest placement rate of 96.1%.
Majors in education like elementary education, miscellaneous education have the highest job placement rates over 98%, other majors like medical technology, construction services and nursing, etc are also becoming highly demanding with job placement reach over 90%.
Majors related to Computer Science have the most job opportunities. You may notice the difference between majors with highest job placement rate and majors in highly demand. Because the tech industry is booming and thus in great demand for positions like software engineer, data analyst, IT manager and AI specialist, their median salary can reach $100,000+.
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ranked first for employability. Over 95% of MIT graduates secure jobs or enroll in further education within 6 months. Top employers include companies like Google, Apple, NASA, Boeing, and top Wall Street, and their median earnings can reach $100,000+.
MIT, Stanford University, CMU, etc are all best choices in terms of job placement. MIT has a 98% job placement rate with top recruiters like Google, Apple, NASA, McKinsey, and Golden Sachs, which is best for those majoring in Tech, Engineering, Data Science, and Finance. Stanford University is Silicon Valley’s top feeder school, CMU graduates enter Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.
The most employable degrees are in STEM fields like engineering, computer science, and healthcare. Computer science (CS) is one of the most in-demand majors. Some other related degrees such as data science or AI are also growing fast, becoming one of the most employable degrees.
Finance, Accounting, Computer Science, etc. Are in hot demand nowadays. Because such degrees have an inextricable relationship with social development and shape contemporary innovative industries. So, degrees in finance, computer science, AI, and so on have the highest demand in society.
Most colleges would help their students with job placement. There are career services that help students with services like resume reviews, mock interviews, job placement conditions to help students better know themselves; except that, some colleges also host job fairs periodically and have strong alumni networking providing more chances for students to get a job. If you want to go to colleges with highest job placement, make sure the college has such career services.
