Graduates still want high pay despite economic downturn

Less confidence

The Fudan study introduced a Graduate Employment Confidence Index, which showed that graduates from prestigious schools had less confidence than their peers in mainstream schools.

Graduates from Fudan University, one of the most prestigious in the city, scored 2.52 out of five, the lowest recorded. Graduates from other schools were more optimistic with a high of 2.71 points.

The study showed that Shanghai was one of the most popular cities for graduates.

Nearly 70 percent of graduates from city universities wanted to start their careers here.

One graduate from at Shanghai's Jiao Tong University said he wouldn't want to miss the chance to work in Shanghai because it was the first choice for Fortune 500 companies.

Jobs in finance companies were the most sought after by the graduates, the Fudan survey found.

Nearly 60 percent of graduates in the survey planned to find a first job then start to look for a better position.

Editor:Zhang Ning