The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen released the Graduate Outcomes Report for the Class of 2022, showcasing high-quality outcomes in various areas. Despite the ever-changing landscape, the Class of 2022 achieved a stable high employment rate of 95.24%, while also excelling in areas such as admission to prestigious universities, diverse employment fields, high-quality career development, and competitive salary levels.

Here are the five highlights of the Class of 2022:

1. Despite the increasingly competitive job market, the Class of 2022 achieved an impressive high employment rate of 95.24%. Among the graduates, 78.02% chose to pursue further education, with a year-on-year increase of 7.99 percentage points, mainly due to the recovery of studying abroad.

2. Among the graduates who chose to pursue further education, 72.30% were admitted to the top 50 universities worldwide, and 12.21% to leading institutions in specific fields, demonstrating high recognition of CUHK-Shenzhen graduates by top universities globally.

3. The most popular fields for postgraduate studies were finance/accounting/marketing/ management, financial engineering/data science/business analysis, computer science/computer engineering, economics/ public policy, statistics/ mathematics/ operations research, and biology. The CUHK-Shenzhen graduates stood out in the fierce competition in these areas.

4. The employment destinations of graduates were diverse, with more than 90% choosing to work in first-tier cities such as Shenzhen (56.68%), Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong SAR, as well as provincial capital cities like Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Changsha, and Nanjing. The employment fields also spanned across various industries, including internet companies, investment banks, well-known consumer goods enterprises, public utilities, non-profit organizations, etc. Employers from various regions and industries recognize the value of CUHK-Shenzhen graduates.

5. The first cohort of Financial Engineering major graduates showed promising outcomes, with an employment rate of 95.71%. Among those continuing their studies, 80.00% were admitted to the top 50 universities worldwide. The employment destinations of graduates included renowned enterprises such as Tencent, Huawei, foyrAnt Group, China Construction Bank, etc.

New Milestones in the Quality of Further Education

In 2022, 78.02% of CUHK-Shenzhen's domestic undergraduate graduates chose to pursue further education, representing a 7.99 percentage point increase from the previous year. The surge was mainly driven by the resumption of study abroad programs, indicating a strong rebound in graduates’ willingness to pursue further education overseas as the COVID-19 pandemic entered a new phase of prevention and control.

According to the 2023 QS and US News World University Rankings, 72.30% of the graduates carrying on their study in the world's top 50 universities for a master’s or doctoral degree, including MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, Chicago, NUS, Yale, and more. Additionally, 104 graduates were enrolled in universities outside of the top 50 list but renowned in specific fields, such as the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, London Business School, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Southern California, London School of Economics and Political Science, among others. This demonstrates that CUHK-Shenzhen graduates possess the ability to select appropriate universities based on comprehensive rankings and professional edges, and are highly regarded by world-renowned institutions for their quality of training.

Almost 90% graduates chose to continue down the path of education in the following five fields of study. Specifically, 33.33% of them were enrolled in finance/ accounting/ marketing/ management programs, such as the MSc Financial Economics program at the Oxford University and the MSc Finance program at the Imperial College London; 23% were in financial engineering, data science, or business analytics, such as the Master of Science in the computational finance program at the Carnegie Mellon University and the M.S. in Data Science program at the Columbia University; 10.56 % were in computer science or computer engineering, represented by the Master of Engineering in Computer Science program at the Cornell University and the Master of Science in the Computer Science program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 9.39% in economics or public policy (e.g. Master of Economics at UCLA; Master of Public Policy at University of Chicago); and 9.04% in statistics, mathematics, operations research or biology (e.g. University of Michigan's Applied Statistics Master's Program; New York University's M.S. in Mathematical Sciences). 

Yitong Lin, a 2022 graduate of the School of Management and Economics and Harmonia College, was admitted to Tsinghua University's Schwarzman College "Schwarzman Scholars" global leadership master's degree program, the world's first scholarship program established to address 21st century geopolitical trends. This year, the program received nearly 3,000 applications from over 60 countries and regions worldwide, with over 400 candidates invited to the final interview stage. Lin's successful admission is a testament to CUHK-Shenzhen's effectiveness in cultivating young leaders.

Diverse Career Paths for CUHK-Shenzhen Graduates

In 2022, 17.12% of CUHK-Shenzhen's graduates chose to enter the workforce immediately, with an average annual salary of 166,900 RMB, steadily increasing from the previous year.

According to the 2022 Fortune Global 500 and China 500 rankings, among graduates who entered various types of enterprises, 68.79% were employed in top companies such as Huawei, Ant Group, ByteDance, Bilibili, Meituan, Microsoft, L'Oreal, Unilever, and Apple.

Graduates are choosing from a wider range of employment opportunities, with over 90% opting to work in Shenzhen (56.68%), as well as in other first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and provincial capitals such as Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Changsha, and Nanjing. This reflects the recognition of employers across different regions for the career development potential of CUHK-Shenzhen graduates.

Our undergraduate students have an impressive record in job hunting, having secured high-paying positions at renowned Internet giants such as Tencent and Alibaba, multi-billion-dollar quantitative hedge funds, central state-owned enterprises in Hong Kong, and the investment banking department of China International Capital Corporation (CICC). In addition, four graduates were selected as research assistants at top-tier universities including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, and Carnegie Mellon University, demonstrating their potential and academic abilities in cutting-edge scientific research.

Inaugural Financial Engineering Graduating Class Achieves Impressive Employment and Graduate School Outcomes

CUHK-Shenzhen's Schools of Management and Economics, Science and Engineering, and Data Science have jointly launched a four-year undergraduate program in Financial Engineering. With majors in Quantitative Finance and FinTech, the program caters to the increasing demand for professionals in the fields of quantitative finance and financial technology. The program's inaugural cohort of 70 graduates achieved an impressive 95.71% employment rate.

Among the 70 graduates, 60 chose to pursue further education, making up 85.71% of the cohort. They were admitted to 20 top-ranked programs, according to QuantNet's US Financial Engineering Program rankings. The programs include Carnegie Mellon University's Quantitative Finance Program (1 acceptance), MIT's Finance Program (2 acceptances), Columbia University's Financial Mathematics Program (1 acceptance) and Financial Engineering Program (3 acceptances), Cornell University's Financial Engineering Program (5 acceptances), NYU's Mathematics in Finance Program (1 acceptance), and Financial Engineering Program (7 acceptances). Meanwhile, 80% of graduates chose to pursue master's or doctoral degrees at universities ranked in the top 50 worldwide.

10% of graduates, or 7 individuals, opted for direct employment and landed core positions at leading companies such as Tencent, Huawei, Ant Group, and China Construction Bank. Amid the challenges posed by the pandemic and the uncertainty it has brought, the 2022 CUHK-Shenzhen graduates have demonstrated their strong adaptability and resilience. As they enter the post-pandemic era, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors, with strong hearts, determination, and courage to face any obstacles that may lie ahead.