The average starting salary for graduates in the college class of 2022 rose to $60,028 from $55,911 for the class of 2021, according to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That represents an increase of 7.4%. 

“We can attribute the jump in starting salary for the class of 2022 to the large increase in new college graduate hiring — and the competition for this talent,” Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and CEO, said in a press release. “Our Job Outlook 2022 Spring Update survey provided evidence of this surge as participating employers planned a robust hiring increase of 31.6% for the class of 2022.” 

Despite this growth, NACE noted the five highest-paid categories of majors remained consistent with the class of 2021, with computer and information sciences leading the way at an average starting salary of $86,964.  

Engineering and mathematics and statistics also experienced favorable outcomes, with their average salaries coming in at $76,249 and $76,186, respectively.  

For master’s graduates in the class of 2022, the report revealed a similar trend with increased average salaries, particularly in STEM and business disciplines. Computer and information sciences graduates secured the top spot among master’s graduates with an average starting salary of $105,894, up 3% compared to the previous year.  

Furthermore, the average starting salaries in engineering and engineering technologies topped $90,000, at $98,036 and $90,607, respectively. 

NACE’s figures are for base salaries and do not include bonuses, commissions, fringe benefits or overtime rates. The survey was conducted from Dec. 31, 2022, to May 25, 2023.  

The salary data were reported by approximately 346 US colleges and universities and includes responses from nearly 828,516 graduates at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree levels.