Bucknell Class of 2023 Grads’ Starting Salary Shows Significant Increase

Bucknell University's recent graduates have much to look forward to if the new Class of 2023 Graduate Outcomes report from the Center for Career Advancement is any indication. The starting salary for Class of 2023 graduates went up more than $3,000 from the previous year — from $69,540 to $72,735 — while 93% percent found a job or other opportunity within 9 months of graduation, with 70% being employed.

Additionally, 19% of the 2023 graduates were enrolled in graduate school or continuing education, which was also up slightly from the Class of 2022 report. The graduate schools they were enrolled in included the Berklee College of Music, Columbia University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Penn State University, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Vanderbilt University, and the William & Mary Law School.

The survey represented a 98% knowledge rate, with 846 of a possible 867 students reporting their postgraduate plans during the nine-month period following the Class of 2023 graduation, which included those who graduated in Summer 2022, Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Among the participants, 96% reported that they are "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their outcome.

"The statistics provided are based upon information that consists primarily of survey responses from graduates and additional knowledge gained through faculty/staff reporting and other sources such as LinkedIn," says Pamela Keiser, executive director, career services. "Our targeted nine-month outreach is initially accomplished in person at the annual cap and gown distribution during Commencement weekend, followed by multiple outreach efforts such as email, telephone and text message to secure or confirm information."

Among the employment highlights, Bucknell graduates listed employment with such companies as Amazon, Accenture, Bank of America, Deloitte, Estee Lauder, ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, IBM, JP Morgan Chase & Co., and KPMG. While 62% reported working on-site/in person, 35% were working hybrid jobs, and another 3% were working remotely.

While New York (27%), Pennsylvania (15%) and Washington, D.C. (11%) were the top U.S. destinations of the 2023 graduates, 4% secured opportunities abroad among these six countries: Australia, Belgium, China, Spain, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

"These graduate outcomes showcase how the value of a Bucknell education has empowered our graduates to seek and attain meaningful and rewarding experiences in a wide variety of industries and advanced degrees for their initial career pursuits," Keiser says.

While the Class of 2024 report won't be published until next year at this time, initial information about some of the post-graduation opportunities for Bucknell's latest graduates can be found here.