NACE Research

Get the latest data and benchmarks

NACE Research has a long-standing history of supporting the field with quantitative research; forecasting hiring trends in the job market; tracking starting salaries of recent college graduates; providing operational benchmarks; and driving national first-destination initiatives.

Primary research reports are administered annually to assist professionals in the career services and university relations and recruiting fields in making data-driven decisions; identifying new opportunities; comparing progress year-over-year; and forecasting growth for the future.

NACE research reports provide unique insight into the NACE member universe: career service professionals, who prepare students for graduation and beyond; university relations and recruiting professionals, who actively recruit college students and graduates; and business affiliates, who provide products and services relevant to these professions.

Experts in the field of research, NACE can also analyze customized data for organizations who would like to dive deeper into a particular area of interest. Options include additional analysis of existing NACE reports, like Salary Survey, Job Outlook, and the new Recruiting Compensation Benchmark Report, as well as a separate, custom reports on diversity statistics; school selection; peer institutions; and employer branding.

Fully-commissioned, primary research is also available to organizations interested in having NACE develop, administer, and analyze a custom research survey to a specific audience on their behalf.

NACE Research Schedule

Below is the schedule for NACE’s primary research studies. Special projects, quick polls, and other research efforts are undertaken on an as-needed basis.

Who participates in NACE surveys? In general, surveys are distributed to NACE member organizations/institutions. One individual is designated to respond to the survey on behalf of the organization/institution. All members at the participating organization/institution have access to a complimentary copy of the report.

EMPLOYER SURVEYS DATA COLLECTION APPROX. RELEASE DATES FREE TO
Salary Survey (Winter Report) October - November January All NACE members
Job Outlook Spring Update February – March April All NACE members
Recruiting Benchmarks Mid-April – May
*Note: Collected in 2025, 2027, 2029
August Participating NACE members
Recruiting Compensation Survey Mid- April  – May
*Note: Collected in 2024, 2026, 2028
August Participating NACE members
Job Outlook, Fall Report August – September November All NACE members
Internship & Co-op Benchmarks AND Compensation Survey October - December March Participating NACE members

*Note: Beginning in fall 2022, benchmarks and compensation data will be collected separately and on an every-other-year basis.


COLLEGE SURVEYS DATA COLLECTION APPROX. RELEASE DATES FREE TO
First Destination Survey – (Grad and undergrad) January – April (Schools report data to NACE) September All, including public
Salary Survey (Summer Report) January – April (Based on First-Destination Survey results) August All NACE members
Student Survey March – May September Participating NACE members
Career Services Benchmarks Survey October – November
*Note: Collected in 2024, 2026, 2028
February Participating NACE members
Career Services Professional Staff Compensation Survey October – November
*Note: Collected in 2025, 2027, 2029
February Participating NACE members

*Note: Beginning in fall 2022, benchmarks and compensation data will be collected separately and on an every-other-year basis.

Questions?

Contact NACE Research at research@naceweb.org, 610.625.1025.

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