12 Reasons Why Bentley’s Career Services is No. 1

Bentley’s spot as No. 1 “Best Career Services” is the result of intentional strategy, not chance. The national ranking by Princeton Review’s 2026 Best Colleges guide is driven by a commitment to strong career development and return on investment.  

Want the inside scoop? Here are 12 reasons why Bentley’s Pulsifer Career Development Center continues to make headlines:  

1. First-year Career Design Course 

More than 95% of our first-year students participate in a Career Design Seminar, helping them identify strengths, interests and career paths early in their college experience. Career Design Introduction (CDI 101) is a non-academic course that equips first-year students with a comprehensive career toolkit and the ability to understand and “tell their story”.

2. Annual career fairs

The Pulsifer Career Center hosts a large-scale career fair in the Bentley Arena each semester, bringing employers (including alumni) to campus to connect with our students. We also have five major-specific career fairs every year.

3. Competitive starting salaries

Our graduates have a median starting salary of $75,000.

4. Proven career outcomes

98% of our graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.

5. Four-year career development plan

Our HIRE Education Program provides structured career design education across all four years. The customized, four-year career development plan is designed to help you during every phase of your Bentley career to prepare for professional success.

6. Advanced Career Design curriculum by major

Advanced non-academic courses in the Career Design curriculum include Major and Career Design (CDI 201) and nine specialized CDI 301 courses for Advanced Career Design by major. We offer a formal, non‑academic career curriculum that guides students through career exploration, job search preparation, internships and post-interview offer management.

7. Dedicated career coaches

Our career coaches offer expertise in industries and employers, resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profile development and job search techniques, recruiting timelines, interview preparation, and role expectations, and helping students navigate competitive job markets. A dedicated career coach model provides career coaches who advise by specific majors and are experts in their majors’ career development and recruiting.

8. Corporate partnerships

The University maintains strong corporate partnerships that connect students directly with employers through recruiting events, career fairs and on‑campus engagement.

9. Diverse career programs 

The University hosts 100+ career programs each academic year.

10. Free lifetime career services

We are one of the few universities that offers dedicated alumni career services at no cost.

11. Free Career Closet

We have the Career Closet that provides students with access to free, professional attire for career fairs, interviews, networking events, classroom presentations and the workplace.

12. Peer coaching program

We have 20 highly trained junior- and senior-level students who are selected to be Career Design Colleagues, which is our peer coaching leadership program. They work with first-year students and sophomores and are teaching assistants in Career Design Introduction 101 (CDI 101).