2019-2020 Illini Success Report
March 16, 2021 10:02 AM

Dear faculty, staff and students,

I’m writing to let you know that the Illini Success team has just released this year’s edition of the Illini Success report, an annual review of the first career destinations of our recent graduates. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our graduates still found jobs, enrolled in graduate school or began volunteer programs on par with previous years. You can view the full report online here.

Here are a few of the highlights from the new report:

• 91% of our 2019-2020 graduates secured a job, graduate program or volunteer opportunity within six months of graduation.
• 75% of in-state graduates who began a job or graduate program said they remained in the state for those opportunities.
• $65,178 is the average salary for full-time-employed graduates.

In this year when so many lives and jobs have been disrupted by the pandemic, it is gratifying to see that an Illinois degree provided so many of our recent graduates with a solid foundation for these critical first steps in their careers. While the survey response rate by graduates was a bit lower than our experience in typical years, the report reflects the outcomes of more than half of all graduates for that time period.  

This is fantastic news that illustrates the impact of an Illinois degree. I am incredibly proud of our recent graduates, and I am extremely thankful for our faculty and staff members who ensure that our students succeed.

I hope you will all join me in celebrating the success of our recent graduates.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor