Nearly one year after graduation, Case Western Reserve’s Class of 2023 is already making waves, displaying impressive results in the most recent First Destination Survey from the Career Center. The report not only shows solid median salary numbers—higher than any previous class—but exceptional competitiveness when applying to professional schools.
“Our students continue to land at a wide range of impressive employers and graduate schools across the country and around the world, reflecting the incredible value and impact of a CWRU education,” said Drew Poppleton, assistant vice president for careers and corporate engagement. “They are also making the most of their time here, participating heavily in a broad range of experiential learning activities and engaging in career-related programming, events and services.”
Data about first destinations for CWRU graduates is collected annually by the Career Center through surveys sent to members of the graduating class, social media and conversations with faculty and staff. This year’s survey boasts a knowledge rate of 91%—the highest rate it’s ever achieved.
For the first time, this year’s outcomes also include data collected from various centralized application services used by professional programs, including allopathic medical schools, osteopathic medical schools, law schools, physician assistant programs, dental schools and others.
“We wanted to tell a comprehensive and more nuanced story about the students entering professional schools,” said Krittika Grau, senior associate director for career education. “What we have learned from the additional data is that CWRU graduates are consistently highly competitive candidates for professional schools, substantiated by the application data.”
The data also revealed that many of the students who received more than one offer to medical or dental programs chose to matriculate to CWRU—not out of lack of options, but as a deliberate choice.
The full results of the First Destination Survey are available online. For those who would like to explore the data in greater detail, an interactive Tableau dashboard containing the last eight years’ worth of data can be accessed on the Career Center website.
Employment
For graduates who chose to pursue full-time employment, the industries with the most number of graduates were engineering (27%), research and science (14%), nursing (14%), healthcare/public health (8%), information technology and technology (7%) and consulting (5%).
Ohio (237) remained the most popular destination for graduates beginning their careers, followed in significant numbers by New York (50), Illinois (39), California (32), Pennsylvania (32), Massachusetts (31), Wisconsin (28), and District of Columbia (16). The value of a CWRU education was recognized internationally as well, for students took positions in South Korea, Taiwan, Spain, Germany, China and Japan.
In these sought-after job markets, graduates found positions with top firms, several of which hired three or more members of the Class of 2023:
- Amazon
- Cleveland Clinic
- Deloitte
- Eaton Corporation
- Epic
- EY
- General Motors
- JPMorgan Chase
- KeyBank
- Lockheed Martin
- Microsoft
- P&G
- PNC
- Raytheon
- Rockwell Automation
- Sherwin-Williams
- University Hospitals
Graduates with permanent full-time employment reported a median starting salary range of $75,000-$79,999.
By college and school, median salaries were:
- Case School of Engineering: $80,000-$84,999
- College of Arts and Sciences: $70,000-$74,999
- Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing: $65,000-$69,999
- Weatherhead School of Management: $75,000-$79,999
Advanced education
Case Western Reserve graduates pursuing advanced degrees (36%) were accepted to 134 diverse institutions in the US and abroad including:
- Boston University
- Brown University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Cornell University
- Duke University
- Emory University
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- New York University, Northwestern University
- Stanford University, The Ohio State University
- University Of Chicago
- University Of Pennsylvania
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Yale University.
For graduates applying to professional schools, their acceptance rates were consistently higher than the national average:
- Medical school: 74% acceptance rate, compared to 46% nationally
- Dental school: 66% acceptance rate, compared to 58% nationally
- Physician assistant programs: 100% acceptance rate, compared to 40% nationally
- Physical therapy programs: 83% acceptance rate, compared to 72% nationally
Experiential education
Hands-on learning—in the form of research, creative endeavors, internships, practica, co-ops, study abroad, community service and more—is an essential component of the Case Western Reserve undergraduate experience. Experiential education offers students real-world experiences and preparation for what comes next.
Of graduates who responded to survey questions about experiential education, participation included:
- 99% indicated that they participated in at least one experiential education activity
- 70% completed an internship, practicum or co-op;
- 82% conducted research or pursued a creative endeavor;
- 49% engaged in community service;
- 33% participated in shadowing experiences; and
- 14% studied abroad
Review the full results of the 2023 First Destination Survey.