World’s Best Universities for Getting a Job, Announced by QS Quacquarelli Symonds

QS Quacquarelli Symonds, global higher education analysts and career advice specialists, have announced the world’s 500 leading universities for the nurturing of graduate employability. This innovative and unique ranking provides extensive insights into the link between university practices and graduate employability.

The QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018 names Stanford as the world-leader, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Harvard University. Stanford leads by virtue of perfect scores for Employer Reputation, Alumni Outcomes, and Partnerships with Employers – the only university with three ‘full marks’ scores.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, CEO of QS said: “This ranking is arguably the most extensive global comparison of the employability outcomes achieved by higher education institutions.”

Key findings:

• US universities take 5 top-10 places, and 31 top-100 places;
• The Universities of Cambridge (6th overall) and Oxford (8th) are ranked most highly by employers, but US universities are strongest at producing graduates who become sector leaders;
• Two Australians rank among the top 10: the Universities of Sydney (4th) and Melbourne (7th);
• Asia’s leading university is Tsinghua University, based on its high Employer Reputation score and outstanding nexus of employer-student connections;
• 20 Asian universities rank among the top 100, alongside 31 from Europe and 8 from Australia;
• Latin America’s strongest institution is Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (37th).

Image Source: (c) QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2017

Ben Sowter, Research Director, QS, said: “Better comparative data about how universities are preparing their students for this mutable, challenging employment market is required. This ranking is designed to improve the conversation around graduate employability, while providing students with the nuanced, innovative methodology required to make empowering decisions.”

Sowter continued: “We find that nurturing career success is a multifaceted endeavor, and cannot be attributed to institutional reputation alone. Stanford is differentiated from its equally prestigious peers by its commitment to strong research relationships with employers and number of high-flying alumni.”

The 2018 QS Graduate Employability Rankings can be found here.

The detailed methodology can be found here.