DegreeChoices recently released "The Universities and Majors Most Favored by Fortune 500 Companies", analyzing over 150,000 LinkedIn employment records to identify the top 20 universities and majors producing graduates most sought after by Fortune 500 firms.
Which schools and majors do top employers favor? And where do CEOs of major corporations come from? CheersYou（清柚教育） will break down the findings for you.
Top 20 Universities Most Favored by Top Employers
In this list of the top 20 universities favored by Fortune 500's top 20 employers, alongside elite institutions like Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, many public universities also make a strong showing, including 10 such as UC Berkeley and UT Austin.
Additionally, several dark horse schools appear on the top 20 list, including University of Phoenix and Strayer University, both private universities focused on professional and career-oriented education with strengths in remote learning; and University of Arkansas and San Jose State University, public universities that benefit from proximity to Fortune 500 companies and their geographic advantages.
The top 20 universities most favored by Fortune 500's top 20 employers, along with alumni counts, are as follows:
-
University of Phoenix: 15,924
-
University of Washington: 14,264
-
University of Mumbai: 5,801
-
Georgia Institute of Technology: 5,292
-
Stanford University: 4,639
-
University of California, Berkeley: 4,302
-
University of Southern California: 4,213
-
University of Texas at Austin: 3,938
-
Arizona State University: 3,820
-
Cornell University: 3,680
-
Pennsylvania State University: 3,214
-
Strayer University: 3,025
-
University of Arkansas: 2,845
-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 2,692
-
San Jose State University: 2,661
-
Northeastern University: 2,302
-
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: 2,251
-
Harvard University: 2,220
-
Purdue University: 2,195
-
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School): 2,022
Top 5 Universities by Alumni Employed at Leading Companies
So, among the top 5 universities on this list, where do their alumni mainly work?
1
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix has 15,924 alumni employed at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, ranking first on the list.
Popular majors at the school include business administration, marketing, healthcare, and behavioral sciences. Notable alumni include Peter Sperling, chairman of Apollo Group and billionaire, and NBA star and successful investor Shaquille O'Neal.
The top companies employing University of Phoenix alumni are:
-
AT&T - 2,705
-
Walmart - 2,232
-
Amazon - 2,213
-
Verizon - 2,212
-
UnitedHealth Group - 2,212
2
University of Washington
The University of Washington has 14,264 alumni employed at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, ranking second.
Located in Seattle, UW is one of the oldest schools on the West Coast and a Public Ivy. It is well-regarded for its computer science, engineering, and business programs, and maintains close ties with local tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and Nintendo. Bill Gates Sr., father of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is also a UW alumnus.
The top companies employing University of Washington alumni are:
-
Microsoft - 7,187
-
Amazon - 5,716
-
Apple - 660
-
AT&T - 472
-
Costco - 229
3
University of Mumbai
The University of Mumbai is the only university outside the United States on this list, with 5,801 alumni employed at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies.
The school has close connections with multinational technology companies, and firms like Apple and Samsung frequently recruit its graduates.
The top companies employing University of Mumbai alumni are:
-
JPMorgan Chase - 2,891
-
Amazon - 1,726
-
Microsoft - 1,184
4
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech has 5,292 alumni employed at the top 20 Fortune 500 companies. Notable alumni include Mike Duke, former CEO of Walmart.
The school partners deeply with many top U.S. companies, offering students opportunities at Adobe, Intel, KPMG, Ford, and others.
The top companies employing Georgia Tech alumni are:
-
Amazon - 2,214
-
Home Depot - 1,018
-
Apple - 921
-
AT&T - 876
-
ExxonMobil - 260
5
Stanford University
Adjacent to Silicon Valley, Stanford consistently supplies talent to tech companies such as Facebook, Apple, and Google. A cradle for tech entrepreneurs, it surpasses Ivy League schools as the most selective elite university in the U.S.
Notable Stanford alumni include Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, HP founder William Hewlett, Cisco founder Leonard Bosack, and Yahoo founder Jerry Yang.
The top companies employing Stanford University alumni are:
-
Apple - 2,104
-
Amazon - 1,373
-
Microsoft - 1,152
-
Alphabet - 10
Top 20 Majors Most Favored by Top Employers
The research data also shows that certain majors are more favored by top U.S. employers. The top 20 majors preferred by Fortune 500's top 20 companies are detailed below:
With many tech giants among the Fortune 500, majors like computer science and information science are among the most sought-after. In the past decade alone, the number of computer science graduates in the U.S. has doubled. Computer science remains one of the most popular majors nationwide, with cybersecurity and DevOps being particularly hot career fields in recent years.
There is also strong demand for business, management, economics, and finance graduates across retail, healthcare, consulting, finance, and media sectors. Wall Street investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase favor business graduates from traditional elites like Harvard Business School, Wharton, and Chicago Booth. Additionally, accounting graduates have always been popular among Fortune 500 companies.
Some non-traditionally hot majors are also favored by top U.S. employers. For instance, psychology graduates are sought by Amazon, CVS, and Apple, as they can provide better consumer insights and user behavior analysis, helping tech companies refine products to meet consumer needs.
Which Universities Do Top CEOs Graduate From?
So, among these 20 universities favored by top employers, how many CEOs have they produced? We find that Stanford, Harvard, and Penn dominate—these three schools are both hot recruitment targets for top employers and cradles of CEOs.
Sundar Pichai – CEO of Alphabet
Alma Matt: Stanford University (M.S.), Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (MBA)
Majors: Materials Science and Engineering (Master's), Master of Business Administration
Born into humble beginnings, Sundar Pichai attended top schools throughout his education. Before joining Google, he worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and in the semiconductor field at Applied Materials. Many key Google products came from his hands, including the Chrome browser, Android operating system, Google Drive cloud storage, as well as Gmail and Google Maps.
Jamie Dimon – CEO of JPMorgan Chase
Alma Matt: Tufts University (B.S.), Harvard University (MBA)
Majors: Psychology and Economics (Bachelor's), Master of Business Administration
Jamie Dimon was born into a banking family in New York; his grandfather was a banker in Athens and his father served as executive vice president of American Express. Repeatedly named one of the world's most influential business leaders by Time magazine, Dimon has a net worth of $1.8 billion. Under his leadership, JPMorgan Chase weathered the financial crisis and is now one of the big four banks in the U.S.
Warren Buffett – CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Alma Matt: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (attended), University of Nebraska–Lincoln (B.S.), Columbia University (M.S.)
Majors: Economics (Bachelor's), Economics (Master's)
The "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett, is a renowned investor and one of the 10 richest people in the world with a net worth exceeding a hundred billion dollars. The Berkshire Hathaway he leads ranks 6th on the Fortune 500 and is one of the most profitable companies globally.
In summary, looking across various rankings of strong employment universities and CEO cradles, the schools most favored by top employers and producing the highest number of CEOs are not exclusively Ivy League institutions. They include public universities, liberal arts colleges, and even some schools ranked outside the top 100.
A degree cannot solely determine a person's success, but elite schools are not merely names. Among the top 20 universities most favored by top companies, Ivy League schools still account for four, and they frequently produce CEOs and company founders, proving the cultivation of outstanding talent at top-tier institutions. A strong academic background and extensive network can significantly aid in realizing one's dreams.
Success has no fixed formula, but is closely linked to personal effort and opportunity. Educational background provides a good starting point, yet achieving genuine success ultimately depends on perseverance and hard work. When opportunity knocks, we are better prepared to embrace it.
Sources: Forbes, DegreeChoices, etc.
