Beijing Foreign Studies University

   Average starting salary: 4,390 yuan (US$675)/month

Founded in 1941, Beijing Foreign Studies University is China's first institution specializing in foreign language studies and the best foreign language and international studies university in China. The university has 13 schools, seven departments, 40 research centers, and has relationships with more than 351 foreign universities and culture institutions around the world. According to BFSU, 1,044 students graduated in 2010; 14 percent of them pursued further education, 15 percent of them went abroad, and almost all the rest students found employment.

Xinjiang Vocational & Technical College of Communication

   Average starting salary: 4,500 yuan (US$692)/month

Xinjiang Vocational and Technical College of Communication, founded in 2004, is a key technical college of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The school has seven departments and offers 21 majors, with traffic and transportation as its specialties. Cooperation with more than 80 local companies and factories provide many opportunities for their graduates. According to XVTCC, about 900 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was more than 90 percent.

Shanghai International Studies University

   Average starting salary: 4,544 yuan (US$698)/month

Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) was founded in 1949 as the former Shanghai Russian College. In recent years, it becomes a research, teaching, and multidisciplinary comprehensive university, committed to cultivating foreign language elites with "high-quality, multiple skills, international vision, spirit of innovation, and capacity of practice". The school has 20 teaching colleges and departments and offers five major disciplines, as well as partnerships with more than 100 renowned universities in more than 30 countries and regions. According to SISU, 1,579 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was over 90 percent.

Peking University

   Average starting salary: 4,554 yuan (US$700)/month

Founded in 1898, Peking University was originally known as the Imperial University of Peking. It was the first national university covering comprehensive disciplines in China and has been a leading institution of higher education in China since its establishment. The university's traditional emphasis on patriotism, progress, democracy and science, together with its educational standards of diligence, precision, factualism, and innovation, have been passed down from generation to generation. According to PKU, about 3,000 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was over 90 percent.

Fudan University

   Average starting salary: 4,631 yuan (US$712)/month

Fudan University is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China. Its institutional predecessor Fudan Public School was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty. Fudan consists of 28 schools and departments, with 70 undergraduate disciplines. After years of exploring and practicing, Fudan has now established its own curriculum and management system, both of which are unique and progressively improving. According to Fudan, 1,049 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was over 95 percent.

Fujian Normal University

   Average starting salary: 4,670 yuan (US$718)/month

A key institution of higher learning in Fujian with a century-old history and glorious tradition, Fujian Normal University has been hailed as the province's "cradle of teachers." Tracing its origin back to Fujian Superior Normal School, founded in 1907, FNU is Fujian's oldest university and one of China's most time-honored teachers' colleges. The university consists of 28 colleges, which together offer 56 undergraduate programs, over 120 master programs, about 50 doctoral programs and seven post-doctoral research centers. According to FNU, about 4,500 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was over 90 percent.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

   Average starting salary: 4,685 yuan (US$720)/month

Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), founded in 1896 as the Nanyang Public School, is known as one of the oldest universities in China. Since the reform and opening up policy in China, SJTU has taken the lead in management reform of institutions for higher education, regaining its vigor and vitality with an unprecedented momentum of growth. Today, SJTU has 31 schools (departments), 63 undergraduate programs, 250 masters-degree programs, 203 doctors-degree programs, 28 post-doctorate programs, and 11 state key laboratories and national engineering research centers. According to SJTU, about 4,500 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was 97.63 percent.

Tianjin Medical University

   Average starting salary: 5,000 yuan (US$768)/month

Tianjin Medical University, founded in 1951, is the first medical institution approved by the State Council. It has established an integral system of medical education that includes clinical medicine, pharmacology, nursing, clinical lab sciences and medical administrations. It has eight departments, 17 colleges, 61 master’s degree locations, 44 doctorate locations, and three post-doctorate movable stations. It also has six affiliated hospitals, 11 clinical colleges, and over 30 teaching hospitals. According to the school, 976 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was 93.1 percent.

Tsinghua University

   Average starting salary: 5,297 yuan (US$814)/month

Tsinghua University was established in 1911, originally under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang." After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the university was molded into a polytechnic institute focusing on engineering. Since China opened up to the world in 1978, Tsinghua has developed at a breathtaking pace into a comprehensive research university. At present, the university has 14 schools and 56 departments with faculties in science, engineering, humanities, law, medicine, history, philosophy, economics, management, education and art. As one of China's most renowned universities, Tsinghua has become an important institution for fostering talent and scientific research. According to the university, about 3,300 students graduated in 2010, and the employment rate was 97.9 percent.

China Conservatory

   Average starting salary: 6,000 yuan (US$922)/month

The China Conservatory, founded in 1964, is an institution that synthesizes the study and research of Chinese traditional music, focusing on performance, composition, theory, and music technology. It combined the resources of the Central Conservatory Chinese Music Department, the Beijing Arts Academy Music Department, and the China Music Research Institute, as well as bringing together renowned musicians and scholars in the field from across the country. Presently, China Conservatory offers eight fields of study. It has established working relationships and exchange programs with music institutions in various areas and countries, including Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the United States, France, and Germany. According to the CA, 263 students graduated from school in 2010, and the employment rate was over 90 percent.