Class of 2026 Salary Projections Are Promising
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Date: January 26, 2026
By: Kevin Gray
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Starting salary projections show promise for the upcoming Class of 2026, according to results of NACE’s Winter 2026 Salary Survey report.
Nearly all categories of reported majors are showing healthy increases that range from 3.1% for engineering majors to 6.9% for computer sciences majors. The only category with lower projected salaries is social sciences; their average salary is expected to decrease by 1.7%.
Boosted by the largest projected increase in starting salaries, the overall average salary for computer sciences graduates stands at $81,535, making them the top-paid category of majors. This year’s projected increase of 6.9% far exceeds last year’s anticipated increase of 2%. (See Figure 1.)
Engineering graduates are projected to be the second highest-paid category of majors for the Class of 2026 with an overall average that is up 3.1%, from $78,731 last year to $81,198. The highest-paid individual engineering major is petroleum engineering, posting an average salary projection of $100,750.
Math and sciences graduates are expected to be the third highest-paid majors for the Class of 2026, with their overall average salary projection rising 6.4%, from $69,709 last year to $74,184. This comes in contrast to a projected decrease of nearly 2% for the Class of 2025.
Graduates earning business degrees from the Class of 2026 are projected to receive salaries that average more than last year. Their overall average salary shows a solid increase of 5.5%, bumping up from $65,276 to $68,873. Sales ($67,927), business administration/management ($68,831), and marketing ($66,994) show the largest individual projected increases of 8.3%, 8.4%, and 8.5%, respectively.
Business, engineering, and computer sciences disciplines dominate the list of specific bachelor’s degree majors in demand. At least 60% of respondents have plans to hire finance, mechanical engineering, and computer science majors from the Class of 2026. (See Figure 2.)
The Winter 2026 Salary Survey report contains annual salary projections for Class of 2026 college graduates. The figures reported are for base salaries only and do not include bonuses, commissions, fringe benefits, or overtime rates. The report provides the detailed salary projections by academic major and degree level, along with breakouts by both industry and geographic region. Data contained in the report were obtained by surveying NACE employer members from October 8, 2025, through November 30, 2025. A total of 150 surveys were returned—a 20.3% response rate.
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Kevin Gray is a senior editor at NACE. He can be reached at kgray@naceweb.org.
4.4%
Overall unemployment rate
Bureau of Labor Statistics
7.3% (February 2026)/7.4% (February 2025)
Unemployment rate, bachelor’s degree grads age 20 – 24
Bureau of Labor Statistics
1.6%
Projected increase in hiring for Class of 2026
60.3%
Percent employed overall, Class of 2024 bachelor's degree graduates
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