Excellent career prospects for University of Stuttgart graduates

The survey results show that the majority of bachelor's graduates choose to continue with a master's program – a trend that has persisted in recent years. 66 percent of respondents remain at the University of Stuttgart for their master's degree, while 16 percent enroll at another university. Only about 12 percent of bachelor's degree graduates enter the workforce immediately. For most students at the University of Stuttgart, the master's degree is the standard qualification they aim to achieve.

Graduates of both bachelor's and master's programs experience a smooth and straightforward entry into professional life. Just three months after graduating, around 80 percent are in employment, and after six months, this figure rises to over 90 percent. Within one to one and a half years after graduation, 98 percent of surveyed graduates are either employed or pursuing a doctoral degree. Approximately 94 percent of bachelor’s graduates are either in regular employment or self-employed. In this context, 75 percent of master’s graduates and 82 percent of bachelor’s graduates report being employed full-time. Only two percent were seeking employment at the time of the survey.

Graduates can look forward to a competitive starting salary as they enter the workforce. While bachelor's graduates earn an average gross monthly salary of 4,350 EUR, master's graduates earn approximately 5,000 EUR on average. Around a quarter earn 6,000 EUR or more. The high level of job satisfaction reinforces the overall positive picture. Four out of five graduates are satisfied or very satisfied with their current professional situation.

"We are delighted with these results. They speak for the excellent quality of our study programs and for the great commitment shown by everyone involved in them," says Professor Michael-Jörg Oesterle, Vice Rector for Teaching and Continuing Education. "We equip our graduates with precisely tailored skills to successfully tackle present and future career challenges. As a result, they rank among the most in-demand entry-level professionals in the German labor market."  

Two-thirds of the surveyed bachelor’s graduates report being satisfied or very satisfied with their studies. Among master’s graduates, the proportion of those who are (very) satisfied is even higher, at 80 percent. The number of very dissatisfied graduates is remarkably low in both the bachelor’s and master’s programs, at two percent and one percent respectively. More than 60 percent of bachelor’s graduates and nearly 70 percent of master’s graduates would choose to study at the University of Stuttgart again.

The graduate survey conducted by the Quality Development Unit (QE) invites former students to participate one to one and a half years after completing their studies. The survey covers topics related to their academic experience, career entry, and current professional situation. QE sends postal invitations to graduates from all degree programs at the University of Stuttgart to take part in the survey. The survey is typically conducted between December and March and achieved a response rate of 36 percent in both 2024 and 2025. The next survey is scheduled to begin in December 2025 and will target all graduates from the winter semester 2023 / 24 and the summer semester 2024.