Follow Up to ""Good News for 2013 Graduates""

The average starting salary for new college graduates earning bachelor's degrees has increased 5.3 percent over last year.

NACE's April 2013 Salary Survey-the first look at starting salaries for the Class of 2013-found that the average starting salary for these college graduates stands at $44,928, up from the 2012 average salary of $42,666. (See Figure 1.)

Following are some of the report's highlights:

• The sizable gains in several disciplines have helped to drive up the average starting salary for the Class of 2013. With an increase of 9.4 percent, health sciences garnered the highest salary growth, which brings the average starting salary for these graduates to $49,713. Business also saw a large gain-7.1 percent-bumping the average salary for these graduates to $54,234.
• Education and computer science also saw ample increases. The average starting salary for education majors climbed 5.1 percent to $40,480, while the average salary for computer science majors jumped to $59,977, 4.3 percent higher than last year.
• Engineering (4.0 percent, to $62,535), communications (3.8 percent, to $43,145), and math and sciences (3.1 percent, to $42,724) all saw increases that exceeded 3 percent.
• Graduates with degrees in humanities and social sciences saw the smallest gain (1.9 percent, to $37,058).

An executive summary of the April 2013 Salary Survey report is available at www.naceweb.org/salary-survey-data/. 

NACE's next report on starting salaries for Class of 2013 college graduates will be available in the September 2013 issue of Salary Survey. 

Figure 1: Average Salaries by Discipline*

Category	2013 Average Salary	2012 Average Salary	Percent Change
Business	$54,234	$50,633	7.1%
Communications	$43,145	$41,550	3.8%
Computer Science	$59,977	$57,529	4.3%
Education	$40,480	$38,524	5.1%
Engineering	$62,535	$60,151	4.0%
Health Sciences	$49,713	$45,442	9.4%
Humanities & Social Sciences	$37,058	$36,371	1.9%
Math & Sciences	$42,724	$41,430	3.1%
Overall	$44,928	$42,666	5.3%

*Source: April 2013 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers