The QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019, released today, features 83 US universities included among the world’s top 500 for producing highly employable graduates. The ranking is compiled based on five indicators: Employer Reputation, Alumni Outcomes, Employer/Student Connections, Partnerships With Employers and Graduate Employment Rate.

Read on for a countdown of the 10 highest ranked US universities for graduate employability, as revealed by the 2019 results.

10. Cornell University

Starting off our look at the 10 best US universities for graduate employability is Cornell University, ranked 21^st in the world and 10^th in the US this year. Cornell achieves its highest score in the alumni outcomes indicator, having been the alma mater of famous figures such as Bill Nye (‘The Science Guy’), Christopher Reeve, Henry Heimlich, Irene Rosenfield and Toni Morrison.

9. Columbia University

Based in New York City, Columbia University comes 17^th in the world for graduate employability this year, and like Cornell earns its highest score for alumni outcomes (sixth in the world), boasting numerous heads of state, Nobel Prize winners, entertainment figures, scientists, business founders, and more amongst its alumni.

8. Princeton University

Ranked joint 15^th along with Switzerland’s ETH Zurich for graduate employability this year, Princeton University again gets its best score in the alumni outcomes indicator, and is also ranked in the global top 50 for its employer reputation and graduate employment rate. Its career service runs hundreds of annual job fair events, alumni speaker series, ‘Princeternships’ and other programs.

7. Yale University

Next is Yale University, which climbed four places in this year’s graduate employability rankings, now coming 14^th in the world. It boasts positions in the global top 15 for two ranking categories: employer reputation (14^th) and alumni outcomes (seventh). Students and alums can get advice from the Office of Career Strategy (OCS) on various aspects of employability, such as networking and interview preparation.

6. New York University (NYU)

New York University (NYU) continues to be the sixth-highest-ranked institution in the US for graduate employability, maintaining its position of 11^th in the world this year. It achieves 10^th place for alumni outcomes, but earns its strongest score for its employer-student connections at third in the world, with the university running an on-campus recruitment program in which a wide range of organizations come to campus and interview current students for full-time roles after graduation.

5. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Heading back to California for another of the best US universities for graduate employability, the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) is up one place to rank eighth in the world this year and fifth in the US, achieving its best score for the employer reputation indicator (10^th in the world). Career counselors at UCB deliver over 300 workshops every year on a range of employment, internship, and graduate school topics.

4. Harvard University

Harvard University is down one place to rank fourth in the world for graduate employability this year, gaining the highest score in the whole index for the alumni outcomes indicator. It boasts excellent reputations for a huge span of subjects (with the highest number of first places in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018, at 14), and has educated the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman, Margaret Atwood, Bill Gates and Helen Keller.

=2. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Ranked joint second among the best US universities for graduate employability and also joint second in the world, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gets a very high score (eighth) the alumni outcomes indicator, and also has the highest score for graduate employment rate of any of the US universities in the top 10, with 94 percent of students of its UCLA Anderson School of Management in employment six months after graduating.

=2. Stanford University

Stanford University has gone down one place to now share joint second position in the world for graduate employability. However, it continues to rank first for the partnerships with employers category, thanks to its impressive BEAM (Bridging Education, Ambition & Meaningful Work) careers service, which aims to ‘educate students to cultivate their personal networks to shape their professional journey’, rather than simply placing them in jobs.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Climbing from fifth to first place in the world for graduate employability (and overtaking Stanford University as first in the US and first in the world), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has also been crowned number one in the overall QS World University Rankings for seven consecutive years. It’s perhaps unsurprising therefore that MIT gets its best score for its employer reputation, although it also receives top 10 scores for alumni outcomes and partnerships with employers.

Discover some of MIT’s most successful graduates.

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The 2019 edition of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings has finally been published, and the long-awaited list of the best universities for graduate employability is now at your fingertips.

For graduate employability, universities are measured according to a methodology which highlights important employability factors such as employer reputation, alumni outcomes, graduate employment rate, and more.

Read on to learn more about these top 10 universities for graduate employability, listed from 10^th to first place…

10. University of Oxford

Situated in the medieval city of Oxford and famed for its academic prestige and excellence, the University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It consistently ranks in the top 10 universities worldwide of the QS World University Rankings®, and alternates first and second place in the UK with the University of Cambridge.

Oxford University ranks 10^th place in the world on this year's graduate employability index, earning perfect scores for the employer reputation and alumni outcomes indicators. Unsurprisingly, Oxford's impressive alumni network includes more than 120 Olympic medalists, 26 Nobel Prize winners, seven poet laureates, and over 30 political leaders of the modern world, including 26 UK prime ministers.

9. Tsinghua University

As the highest-ranked university in China in this year’s graduate employability ranking, Tsinghua University is the perfect option for students wishing to study abroad and pursue careers in engineering and computer science programs – consistently ranking among the world’s top 10 for these subjects in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

This year's graduate employability ranking sees Tsinghua University take ninth place, achieving scores in the global top 15 for three indicators: employer reputation, partnerships with employers, and employer-student connections.

8 University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) is one of the world's leading research universities, and home to internationally-renowned research institutes that include the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and the Space Sciences Laboratory.

The alma mater of 99 Nobel Laureates, 23 Turing Award winners, and 14 Pulitzer Prize winners, UCB currently ranks eighth for graduate employability, achieving its highest scores in the employer reputation and alumni outcomes indicators.

7. University of Cambridge

As the fourth-oldest university in the world, having been founded by rebellious Oxford scholars in 1209, the University of Cambridge ranks among the top 10 universities in the world, and has regularly been ranked first and second in the UK, alongside Oxford.

Renowned for its traditional academic values and international outlook, it's also one of the leading higher-education institutions for teaching and research and ranks seventh this year for graduate employability, achieving some of the highest scores for employer reputation and alumni outcomes.

Eminent mathematicians, scientists, politicians, lawyers, philosophers, writers, actors, and heads of state have all graduated from Cambridge.

6. University of Melbourne

Located in Australia's cultural capital, the University of Melbourne regularly ranks as one of the leading universities in the world and the top five in Australia. With its array of cultural and sports activities on campus, it offers students a unique experience that stretches beyond just typical academic learning.

With an alumni of four Australian prime ministers and five governors-general, the University of Melbourne currently ranks sixth in the world for graduate employability, boasting scores in the top 25 for three indicators, including the highest score for graduate employment rate out of all the 10 universities in this list.

5. University of Sydney

As a leading research university that's consistently ranked in the top 50 worldwide and among Australia's most prestigious, the University of Sydney offers the country's vastest range of disciplines, with momentous capacity in more than 20 major areas of research.

This year, it ranks fifth for graduate employability globally, achieving very high scores across all indicators, particularly for partnerships with employers and employer-student connections. Notable graduates of Sydney include Joan Sutherland, Malcolm Turnbull, Rose Byrne, Clive James and Germaine Greer, among others.

4. Harvard University

Famed for its global influence and academic standing, Harvard University is America's oldest higher-education institution, having been founded almost 400 years ago. Students and alumni of Harvard have won Pulitzer Prizes, Nobel Prizes, Academy Awards, and a total of 108 Olympic Medals.

Ranking fourth this year for graduate employability, Harvard University recieves the perfect scores for both employer reputation and alumni outcomes – which isn't surprising, given that it has proudly educated eight US presidents, several foreign heads of state, 62 living billionaires, 359 Rhodes Scholars and 242 Marshall Scholars.

=2. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

The alma mater of 14 Nobel Laureates, 261 Olympic medalists and over 140 companies created based on technology developed by it, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) regularly ranks in the world's top 50 universities overall of the QS World University Rankings®, as well as consistently placing among the world’s best for arts and humanities, communications and media studies, education and training, archaeology, and more, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

It ranks joint second place with Stanford University in the graduate employability rankings this year, with its highest score featured in the alumni outcomes category.

=2. Stanford University

Ranked second in the world in the QS World University Rankings®, Stanford University sits in the heart of Northern California's busy Silicon Valley, home to cutting-edge tech companies such as Google, Hewlett-Packard, and many others which are led and were founded by Stanford alumni and faculty, earning Stanford the nickname ‘the billionaire factory’.

Stanford ranks joint second for graduate employability this year along with UCLA, and with top five scores across three categories in the ranking: employer reputation, alumni outcomes, and partnerships with employers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was established in 1861 as a small institution of scientific innovations. Today, it's an independent and private university, home to five different schools: architecture and planning; engineering; humanities, arts and social sciences; management, and science.

MIT claims first place in the world this year for graduate employability, achieving top five scores for its employer reputation and alumni outcomes.

Famous MIT alumni include world politicians, entrepreneurs and scientists, among whom include UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, celebrity businessman Mohamed Hadid, and former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz – to name a few.

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been named the best university in the world for graduate employment.

The American institution replaces Stanford University at the top of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019, having achieved top scores for its reputation among employers and its alumni outcomes. These are two of the five indicators used to compile the ranking. MIT has also benefited from an improvement in its graduate employment rate since last year’s ranking.

Stanford University has to make do with second place, while nearly 500 more universities are featured below them this year. The full results are viewable here.

MIT’s table-topping performance follows their record-breaking performance in the QS World University Rankings® 2019. The Massachusetts-based institution has now come top of the world rankings more than any other university.

While MIT’s ability to top both tables may suggest similarities between the two, it’s worth noting that several of the best performers for graduate employability have vastly improved on their world ranking. For example, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is ranked joint second in this year’s graduate employability table, yet is only 32^nd in the world rankings.

Below is a table listing this year’s top 10 for graduate employability which also allows you to compare how each university performed in the world rankings.

As the table above suggests, many of the top universities for graduate employability are based in the English-speaking world, namely the UK, US and Australia. For a more detailed breakdown of the best universities in particular countries, click here.

The results of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019 are out now, and continue to demonstrate that Canadian universities are some of the highest-ranking institutions for graduate employability. The ranking aims to highlight some of the world’s leading universities, based on a methodology which examines employment rates, alumni outcomes, employer reputations, partnerships with employers (which assesses partnerships linked to both employment and research), and more.  

Read on to discover the best Canadian universities for graduate employability in 2019, counting down from 10^th to first place.

=10. Carleton University

Ranked 301-500 in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings this year, Carleton University is located in capital city Ottawa and is active in promoting its students’ employability, with many opportunities to take part in co-op programs, volunteer work in the community, and other on-and-off campus work experiences.

It receives its highest score for the alumni outcomes indicator at 163^rd in the world, with an alumni which includes three Nobel Laureates and many other notable figures in politics, entertainment, business, journalism and more.

Seven more Canadian universities are ranked 301-500 for graduate employability this year: Concordia University, Dalhousie University, Simon Fraser University, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, University of Victoria and York University.  

=8. University of Calgary

The University of Calgary holds its position in the graduate employability rankings from last year, sitting in the 151-160 range. It boasts an impressive score for the partnerships with employers indicator, which is higher than that of a few of the universities ranked further up in the index, including Université de Montréal, Queen’s University, and even the University of British Columbia.

=8. Université de Montréal

Next in our look at the best Canadian universities for graduate employability is the French-speaking Université de Montréal, also ranked in the 151-160 range for graduate employability. Its highest score sits under the partnerships with employers category, which is around five scores higher than that of Queen’s University.

7. Western University

One of Canada’s top research universities, with more than 60 percent of its research papers involving international collaborations, Western University sits in the 141-150 range for the graduate employability factor, with the alumni outcomes indicator displaying its highest score, which also surpasses that of both McMaster University and the University of Alberta. 

6. Queen’s University

As a member of the prestigious U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, Queen’s University is one of the world’s leading research-intensive institutions, and climbed around 10 spots to now secure a place in the 101-110 range of this year’s Graduate Employability Rankings. It boasts an alumni outcomes score higher than both that of McMaster University and the University of Alberta.

5. McMaster University

With the third-highest scores in Canada for the partnerships with employers and graduate employment rate indicators, McMaster University has risen from the 101-110 range to grab 93^rd place in the graduate employability rankings in 2019. It is the only Canadian host site of a United Nations University, and is one of the three best Canadian universities for research according to the QS World University Rankings ® 2019.

4. University of Alberta

Famed for its varying degrees of excellence across all fields of study including the humanities, sciences, creative arts, business and engineering, the University of Alberta is also a strong holder of a world-class employability reputation and has climbed an impressive seven places, now ranking 87^th in the world for this indicator, whilst achieving the highest score for graduate employment rate of all the Canadian universities listed.

3. University of British Columbia

Renowned for its academic excellence and high employer reputation, the University of British Columbia claims 38^th place in the graduate employability ranking. With an impressive score for employer reputation, the university comes second highest in the country for this indicator after the University of Toronto.

Amongst the University of British Columbia’s strongest subjects are geography, mineral and mining engineering and sports-related subjects, as ranked in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

2. University of Waterloo

Coming 25^th in the world for graduate employability, the University of Waterloo boasts particularly remarkable scores for its partnerships with employers and graduate employment rate, both in the global top 40.

Named as Canada’s most innovative university for 26 years in a row according to a survey by Maclean's magazine, the university offers undergraduates the world’s largest post-secondary co-operative education program, which provides them with the opportunity to combine study with work. Students are given the chance to attain valuable work experience with notable worldwide companies such as Amazon, Google and Facebook.

1. University of Toronto

The University of Toronto continues to lead the way among the best Canadian universities for graduate employability, coming 12^th in the world, having gone up three places from last year. It ranks higher than any other Canadian university for both the alumni outcomes indicator, as well as for its partnerships with employers.

Some of the University of Toronto’s most noteworthy alumni include four Canadian prime ministers, and other notable figures such as actor Donald Sutherland and Canada’s first female astronaut and first neurologist in space, Roberta Bondar.

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A postgraduate degree is a perfect opportunity to build on your undergraduate learning and specialize further in a particular area of study - something which can be vital if you want to work in business or industry.

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Finally, make sure you’re studying somewhere that offers plenty of career support

Building up your knowledge and awareness of how business is conducted around the world is all well and good, but it’s ultimately meaningless if you aren’t given the support required to find a top graduate job after you finish your studies. Practically every university and business school now offers a careers service to its students, but quality is likely to vary. Be sure to contact schools directly if you have any questions about how they help to prepare their students for the working world.

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If you’re heading off to university for the first time this autumn, you’re probably feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. Luckily, we went to Summer in the City and spoke to Jack Edwards, a YouTuber who’s in his fourth year of studying English Literature at Durham University, and asked him what advice he’d offer for nervous freshers, based on his own experiences. Watch our video above for his tips, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Video by Pavel Petrov for TopUniversities.com. Check out Jack Edwards’ channel here.