Bentley University’s most recent graduates are off to a fast start in their careers. Six months after graduation, 99 percent of the Class of 2016 is employed, attending or planning to attend graduate school. Nearly 60 percent of the graduates credited their success to Bentley’s nationally recognized Career Services Department, named #1 in the U.S. by the Princeton Review.
Eighty five percent of U.S. college freshmen say they go to college to get a better job, according to the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Graduates today expect that after four years of classes, internships and tuition payments, they will have the skills and experiences that employers want.
Members of the Bentley University Class of 2016 were hired by top companies and organizations including General Electric, PepsiCo, AmeriCorps, Goldman Sachs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bose, Conde Nast, Hill Holliday, Nestle, Liberty Mutual and Procter & Gamble. The students’ median salary after graduation was $55,000, up two percent from the year before.
Other data from Bentley’s Class of 2016 include:
- 58 percent of students said they obtained jobs through Bentley career services including campus recruiting, career fairs, faculty/staff referrals and internship conversions
- 30 percent obtained jobs as a result of networking efforts
- 320 different employers hired Bentley graduates in 2016
- 88 percent of students were employed within 6 months of graduation and 11 percent were attending or planning to attend graduate school
Bentley’s placement rate is based on a 92 percent “knowledge rate,” which refers to the percentage of graduates for which Bentley has verifiable information about their post-graduation careers. The statistics are compiled through a survey of graduates and research by Bentley Career Services staff.
Students benefit from Bentley’s HIRE education program, a customized four-year approach to developing job search skills that lays the foundation for a lifetime of career management. At Bentley, career exploration begins freshman year with a Career Development Seminar in which students begin to discover their professional path. They create the career tools they will need including resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and elevator pitch.
Learn more about Bentley’s career education program.