CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Recent graduates from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found jobs, enrolled in graduate school or began a volunteer program at record rates, according to the 2018-19 Illini Success annual report released today.
The report found that 93% of 2019 graduates secured a “first destination” – defined as a job (58%), enrollment in graduate school (35%) or a volunteer position (less than 1%) – within six months of graduation. The report also shows that the average salary for a full-time-employed recent graduate is about $63,515, up from last year’s $60,885.
Top employers of Illinois students include Amazon, Google, Microsoft Corp., Deloitte, Ernst & Young and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Other employers include Apple Inc., Tesla, Facebook, IBM, Caterpillar and ADM. Top graduate schools include Illinois; Columbia, Cornell and Northwestern universities; and the University of California, Berkeley.
About 75% of Illinois residents stay in the state for a job or graduate school, and about 66% of all graduates find their first destination in Illinois. The remaining 33% found first destinations across 46 other U.S. states and 39 countries.
Ninety percent of students reported participating in an experiential learning opportunity (internship, research project, study abroad, service learning, clinical programs, etc.), and 35% of those experiences resulted directly in a full-time job offer.
“The name Illini Success really says it all,” Chancellor Robert J. Jones said. “Once again, we are demonstrating our ability to set up our students for enormous success.”
As part of the Illini Success reporting, recent graduates also had an opportunity this year to identify professors, advisers or other university employees who made an impact on their undergraduate experience. More than 1,400 names were submitted, including faculty members, advisers, mentors, career coaches, residence hall staff, teaching assistants and more. Many individuals were cited multiple times.
The report includes students who completed undergraduate degrees in August 2018, December 2018 and May 2019. Data was obtained from a survey of graduates and other sources such as the National Student Clearinghouse, college reports and LinkedIn data. The project is supported by the Office of the Provost, Career Services Council, Division of Management Information, Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Office of the Registrar, Institutional Review Board Office, Council of Undergraduate Deans, undergraduate college administrations and other partners.
“Our mission is to provide meaningful, comprehensive, transformational experiences for our students,” Provost Andreas Cangellaris said. “We have an obligation to prepare them for the 21st-century workforce, to be successful in the multiple different careers they will have the opportunity to pursue in their lifetime. We are very pleased to see even more evidence that an Illinois education is preparing our students for the futures they choose.”
Illini Success by the numbers (2018-19)
- 93, the percentage of 2019 graduates who secured a first destination (job, graduate school, volunteer program).
- 90, the percentage of students who participated in an experiential learning opportunity (internship, research, study abroad, etc.).
- 75, the percentage of Illinois residents who stay in the state.
- 47, the number of states where students found first destinations.
- 39, the number of countries where students found first destinations.
- $63,515, the average salary for a full-time-employed recent graduate
Editor’s note: For more information, contact Jennifer Neef, The Career Center director, at 217-333-0820 or jneef@illinois.edu; or Julia Panke Makela, The Career Center associate director for assessment and research, at 217-333-0820 or jpmakela@illinois.edu.
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