Report Shares Achievements From the Class of 2018

This weekend, more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students will join a community of more than 135,000 University of Denver alumni living around the world. As DU prepares to applaud the accomplishments of our next class of graduates, we also celebrate the successes of their most recent predecessors — the Class of 2018.

Within six months of graduating, undergraduate students, master’s students and doctoral students from the Class of 2018 were asked to participate in the University’s First-Destination Outcomes Report. The report examines DU’s impact on student success by looking at such factors as employment, continuing education and service activities following graduation.

Within six months of graduation, 88.4% of undergraduate students were employed, continuing their education or pursuing service/military activities. While this represents a slight drop from the 2017 class, 2018 graduates employed in a full-time position increased their average salary by more than $1,800 over the previous class.

Many 2018 graduates stayed in Colorado and are working today in Denver. Outside of Colorado, the top six cities for employment are:

1. New York — 32 students
2. Chicago — 19
3. Los Angeles — 18
4. San Francisco — 12
5. Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. — 10

A total of 52 graduates reported working in locations outside of the United States.

From the 2018 class, 90.2% of master’s students were either employed, continuing their education or pursuing service/military activities within six months of graduation. This number represents a slight increase from the 2017 class.

Once again, a majority of students graduating from DU with master’s degrees found employment in Colorado. The top six cities outside of Colorado are:

1. Washington, D.C. — 25 students
2. New York — 11
3. Chicago — 10
4. Los Angeles — 9
5. Houston and Seattle — 7

In addition, 50 graduates reported working in locations outside of the United States.

Finally, 95.2% of doctoral students from the Class of 2018 were employed, continuing their education or pursuing service/military activities within six months of graduation. This number is slightly higher than the class of 2017. Nearly 60% of the doctoral students remained in Colorado following graduation. About 5% reported working in a location outside the United States.

The percentage of DU undergraduate students, master's students and doctoral students either employed, continuing their education or pursuing service/military activities consistently ranks above the national and regional averages.