US universities retain top spots for graduate employability

Best Arab universities for student employability also announced

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has retained its global number one position for graduate employability for the third year in a row. Bloomberg

Stanford University came second in the 2022 QS Graduate Employability Rankings published by Quacquarelli Symonds, a global education research consultancy. AFP

The University of California, Los Angeles took the third spot. EPA

The University of Sydney came fourth, in a list that was mostly dominated by American universities. Reuters

Harvard University was placed fifth worldwide. Getty Images

Tsinghua University in Beijing, China came sixth. Shutterstock

University of Oxford came seventh. Getty Images

The University of Melbourne in Australia came eighth. Bloomberg

Cornell University in New York state came ninth. Getty Images

The University of Hong Kong came 10th. EPA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has retained its global number one position for graduate employability for the third year in a row.

American universities dominated the top ranks for employability while one British university, the University of Oxford, was named in the top 10.

Stanford University and University of California, Los Angeles took the second and third spots in the 2022 QS Graduate Employability Rankings published by Quacquarelli Symonds, a global education research consultancy.

The University of Sydney in Australia took fourth spot and Harvard University placed fifth worldwide.

American University of Beirut was the only Arab higher-education institution to be named among the top 100 for the second year in a row.

UAE and Lebanon were the most represented Arab nations, with four universities from both countries ranked among the best in the world for employability.

Ben Sowter, director of research at QS, said: “With Australian institutions performing better at the top than British ones, and with a variety of universities in Latin America and Asia outperforming their overall rank, it is also clear that it is valuable to shine a unique light on outstanding employability performance — one that rewards institutions successfully fulfilling this critical aspect of their mission.”

Which universities made the global top 10?

1/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2/ Stanford University

3/ University of California, Los Angeles

4/ University of Sydney

5/ Harvard University

6/ Tsinghua University

7/ University of Oxford

8/ University of Melbourne

9/ Cornell University

10/ University of Hong Kong

Universities were ranked on alumni outcomes, partnerships with employers, how often employers were present on campus, and graduate employment rates.

In the Emirates, UAE University and American University of Sharjah were listed among the 500 best universities for employment across the world.

American University in Dubai and Khalifa University were also included.

American University of Beirut ranked 51 in 2020 and secured 73rd spot this year. The university has a strong reputation among employers.

Mr Sowter called on higher education institutions to place greater focus on work-preparedness and industry relations.

“The latest results indicate that there are a number of top universities across the Arab Region that are outperforming their local economic context when it comes to getting their graduates into gainful employment,” said Mr Sowter.

“However, with none of the region’s universities achieving a top-100 score in the Employer Recognition indicator, it is also true that international employers are not yet expressing an unequivocal vote of confidence in those graduates.”

“Work-orientated curricula, conceived of in collaboration with industry, will be a good way of ensuring that graduates are prepared for the challenges of the modern workplace,” he said.

Lebanese American University also ranked in the top 300 this year.

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia were among the top 500.

Last year too, American universities topped the global rankings for employability, in the league table published in Times Higher Education's World University Rankings.

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) then topped the list for being the best university in the world for the number of graduates landing a job.