Italian master’s graduates: 99 per cent are employed one year after graduation
99 per cent of Italian master’s graduates from the Politecnico di Milano are employed one year after graduation, and 95 per cent find work within six months. Almost a third, 32 per cent, are already employed by the time they graduate.
These are some of the key findings from the Politecnico di Milano’s 2026 Employment Survey, which involved over 9,000 graduates – both Italian and international – one and five years after graduation.
One year after graduation, Italian master’s graduates confirm a rapid and high-quality entry into the labour market: 82 per cent work in the private sector, 63 per cent are on permanent contracts, 88 per cent work in Italy and 94 per cent are in roles consistent with their field of study. The average net monthly salary is €1,880, with higher figures for those working abroad and in the technology, scientific, consultancy and financial sectors.
International master's graduates also report strong outcomes: one year after graduation, the employment rate stands at 90 per cent and 70 per cent are working in Italy, mainly in Milan and Lombardy. This is a sign of the ability of the Politecnico and the Italian business sector to attract and retain skilled talent from all over the world.
Five years after graduation, career paths are becoming more established. Among Italian master’s graduates, 91 per cent are employed on permanent contracts and the average net monthly salary stands at 2,356 euros, representing a 52 per cent increase compared with the salary reported by the same graduates one year after graduation. Furthermore, 90% say they have a job consistent with their studies, and 90% would choose the Politecnico di Milano again.
In the five years following graduation, Italian master’s graduates changed jobs on average 1.9 times. 17 per cent gained work experience abroad for at least six months, mainly in Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom, and 66 per cent took on positions of responsibility, particularly in project management. 3 per cent work in a start-up and, including some who have founded their own companies.
Economic development will increasingly depend on the ability to establish a stable alignment between education, business and industrial policy. It will not be enough simply to generate knowledge: it will be crucial to rapidly transform it into specialist skills capable of driving innovation. This is the link that holds together universities, the business world and the country’s development. We are therefore very pleased with these results, which confirm the role of the Politecnico di Milano in developing skills capable of generating value for businesses, society and the country.
Donatella Sciuto, Rector of the Politecnico di Milano
Positive results were also recorded for Italian bachelor’s graduates who choose not to continue their studies at the Politecnico: one year after graduation, 93 per cent are employed, 82 per cent find work within six months, and the average net monthly salary stands at €1,716. Five years on, the employment rate rises to 97 per cent, with 89 per cent of graduates on permanent contracts and an average salary of €2,113.
The survey confirms a high level of satisfaction with the educational programme: among Italian Master’s graduates one year after graduation, 94 per cent say they are satisfied with their degree programme and 89 per cent would choose the Politecnico again. However, there are still some differences that need to be monitored: access to employment is essentially equal between men and women, but gaps remain in pay and contractual stability.
All the data are available here:
Methodological note
The Politecnico di Milano’s 2026 Employment Survey analyses the employment status of graduates one year and five years after graduation. The survey was conducted in the early months of 2026 using an integrated methodology combining CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) and CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing). Graduates were invited to complete a multiple-choice questionnaire comprising approximately 20 questions.
For the one-year survey, relating to the 2024 cohort, 71 per cent of Italian bachelor’s graduates who did not continue their studies at the Politecnico, 70 per cent of Italian master’s graduates and 37 per cent of international master’s graduates responded. For the five-year post-graduation survey, covering the class of 2020, 62 per cent of Italian master’s graduates, 30 per cent of international master’s graduates and 62 per cent of Italian bachelor’s graduates not continuing their studies at the Politecnico responded.