University graduates are approaching full employment, with an unemployment rate of 6%, according to the 2026 Labor Insertion Survey conducted by the Agency for University Quality (AQU). However, working conditions and salaries vary significantly depending on the field of study.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degrees lead in income, with an average of 300 euros more per month than others. Nevertheless, even these profiles have not managed to recover the purchasing power lost since 2011 due to inflation. Furthermore, a considerable gender gap persists: male graduates in Medicine and Dentistry earn an average of 484 euros more than women, and in Civil Engineering, the difference is 466 euros.
A notable change in the 2026 edition is that university internships have become, for the first time in 25 years, the primary gateway to the labor market, surpassing personal and family contacts. This indicates a trend towards greater value placed on experience acquired during studies.
Humanities continue to show higher levels of overqualification and lower salaries. Within this field, Fine Arts registers the lowest occupational quality index. The alignment between education and employment has also slightly worsened in Arts and Design, Education, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, ICT, along with Engineering, maintains a rapid entry into the job market.
Master's and doctoral graduates show better alignment and leadership indices, although in private companies, only one-third of PhD holders perform tasks strictly related to their doctoral training. The mental health of doctoral candidates is a critical issue, with 36.5% experiencing mental health problems during their studies.
English language teaching has improved, achieving a general pass for the first time, although graduates perceive room for improvement, especially in the Sciences. The survey concludes that having a university degree significantly reduces the risk of unemployment, but the quality of the job, salary, and task suitability depend heavily on the field of study.
