University of North Carolina at Chaple Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
The Undergraduate Business Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School has released its employment outcomes for the Class of 2025, reporting a 99% success rate and strong results across nearly every measure tracked by the school.
The data, collected through a survey that closed September 30 and shared with Poets&Quants, shows that the graduating class continued the program’s long-running trend of near-universal placement despite a fluctuating national job market.
The UBP Class of 2025 includes 407 graduating majors, the largest cohort in at least seven years and the third admitted under the school’s intentional growth model launched in 2018. The program reported an 81% response rate and a 95% knowledge rate, both consistent with long-term averages. The 99% success rate includes graduates who were employed, pursuing additional education, entering military or volunteer service, or not seeking employment.
UNC’s UBP GRADUATING CLASSES, 2019 TO 2025
| Data | Class of 2019 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2021 | Class of 2022 | Class of 2023 | Class of 2024 | Class of 2025 |
| Graduating Majors | 348 | 350 | 333 | 317 | 384 | 392 | 407 |
| Response Rate | 97% | 90% | 86% | 88% | 76% | 81% | 81% |
| Knowledge Rate | 99% | 98% | 96% | 96% | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Success Rate | 97% | 98% | 98% | 97% | 98% | 97% | 99% |
| Satisfaction with job offer | 98% (61% Very) | 98% (65% Very) | 99% (70% Very) | 100% (62% Very) | 99% (62% Very) | 100% (64% Very) | 97% (60% Very) |
| Employed that were seeking employment | 95% | 97% | 96% | 97% | 98% | 97% | 99% |
| Employed FT | 88% | 85% | 89% | 89% | 88% | 88% | 84% |
| Employed PT | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Continuing Ed | 8% | 13% | 9% | 6% | 9% | 8% | 11% |
| Seeking Continuing Ed | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Seeking Employment | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2.8% | 1.3% |
| Military Service | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 0.5% | 0% |
| Volunteer Service | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Not seeking | 2% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| FT result of internship | 48% | 55% | 59% | 50% | 54% | 65% | 64% |
| Salary Disclosure | 94% | 95% | 96% | 90% | 100% | 82% | 96% |
| Average Salary | $68,115 | $72,357 | $71,976 | $83,525 | $86,444 | $84,945 | $87,212 |
| Average signing bonus | $7,903 | $7,297 | $7,629 | $9,394 | $8,080 | $8,628.75 | $8,728 |
| Top 3 locations | NYC: 22%
CLT: 21% ATL: 10% |
NYC: 20%
CLT: 14% ATL: 9% |
NYC: 19%
CLT: 19% ATL: 12% |
NYC: 19%
ATL: 16% CLT: 16% |
CLT: 25%
NYC: 19% ATL: 12% |
CLT: 25%
NYC: 22% |
CLT: 25% NYC: 24% Triangle: 9% |
| Top 3 functions | Finance: 41% Consulting: 25% Marketing/Sales: 15% | Finance: 40% Consulting: 26% Marketing/Sales: 14% | Finance: 45% Consulting: 23% Marketing/Sales: 13% | Finance: 40% Consulting: 29% Marketing/Sales: 14% | Finance: 48%
Consulting: 29% Marketing/Sales: 7% |
Finance: 43% Consulting: 28% Marketing/Sales: 12% |
Finance: 53% Consulting: 22% Marketing/Sales: 9% |
Source: UNC Kenan-Flagler
SALARIES CLIMB AS FINANCE HIRING SURGES
Among UBP graduates who were seeking work, 99% secured employment, matching or surpassing outcomes from previous years. Full-time employment as a share of the total class dipped slightly to 84%, while continuing education rose to 11%, up from 8% in the Class of 2024. Only 1.3% of graduates reported actively seeking employment at the time of the survey, continuing a pattern of very low job-seeking levels among UBP grads.
Average salary increased to $87,212, highest on record, up from $84,945 a year ago, a 2.7% increase. The average signing bonus rose to $8,728; the school record remains the $9,304 reported by the Class of 2022. Salary disclosure rebounded sharply to 96% after falling to 82% last year (from 100% in 2023). The school noted that the high share of students entering finance roles – 53%, the largest proportion in seven years – likely contributed to the salary increase.
Finance, consulting, and marketing/sales once again were the top three job functions for graduates. Consulting roles fell to 22%, down from 28% last year, reflecting the broader slowdown in entry-level consulting hiring nationwide. Marketing and sales roles made up 9% of outcomes, in line with long-term trends.
CHARLOTTE & NYC LEAD – TRIANGLE BREAKS INTO TOP THREE
Geographically, Charlotte remained the most popular destination, accounting for 25% of reported job locations. New York City followed closely at 24%. The Triangle region rose to 9%, entering the top three for the first time since the school began tracking seven-year trend data. Atlanta, which peaked in 2022, continued a multi-year decline and dropped out of the top three, representing about 5% of accepted roles. Chicago also rose to more than 5%, marking a growing presence among graduates.
Internships remained the leading source of full-time offers. Sixty-four percent of graduates accepted roles that originated from internships, continuing an upward trajectory that began in 2019 and underscoring the importance of junior-year internship experiences in securing post-graduation employment.
Satisfaction with job offers reached 97%, with 60% of graduates reporting that they were “very satisfied.” While slightly below last year’s 100% overall satisfaction rate, the school noted that the results remained strong given the broader economic climate, which has influenced location availability and start-date timing across multiple industries.
The UBP Career Team emphasized that outcomes reflect the cumulative impact of academic experiences, career programming, employer engagement, and the work of Kenan Institute centers. They also acknowledged the substantial effort required to compile the outcomes report, led by Associate Director for Career Development Sarah Crockett and Associate Director for Employer Relations Anna McKeown Wessler.
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