Average starting salaries for graduates in the college class of 2024 have surpassed projections reported for the class of 2023, according to data from the Winter 2024 Salary Survey released today by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“Although the overall hiring projection for class of 2024 bachelor’s degree graduates is down slightly from last year, the increase in salary projections across the board reported in our Winter 2024 Salary Survey indicates healthy demand for this year’s class,” Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and CEO, said in a press release.

Engineering graduates are projected to be the highest-paid group of majors at $76,736, up from $74,405 in 2023.

Computer sciences majors are expected to be the second-highest paid with a projected salary of $74,778, marking a 2.7% increase from last year’s average salary projection. NACE also noted that represents an upswing from the 4% decrease projected for computer sciences majors in the Class of 2023.

The overall average salaries for math and sciences graduates and business graduates are expected to increase by 5.8% and 3.0%, respectively.

NACE’s figures are for base salaries and do not include bonuses, commissions, fringe benefits or overtime rates. The survey was conducted from Oct. 4 to Nov. 30, 2023, with a total of 172 NACE employer members participating, representing a 19.3% response rate.