Central Career Guarantee

The Central Career Guarantee (The Guarantee) packages the opportunities, activities and experiences already offered as part of a CMU education into an easy-to-follow roadmap. When you opt in to The Guarantee, you'll commit to completing the phases within the roadmap.

And when you've earned your degree and completed each phase of The Central Career Guarantee roadmap, we'll guarantee you'll have a job offer or be accepted into graduate school within six months of your graduation date, or we'll give you $2,000 to apply to your student loans, continued job search, or anything else that's pressing. And we'll continue to support you in your search.

View Terms and Conditions View Central Career Guarantee roadmap

How can we be so sure you'll have a job offer?

Being student-centered has its advantages. We know what works from years of helping CMU students find success after graduation. It's why we're nationally recognized for our student outcomes. More importantly, it's why our graduates have had a job placement rate above 94% over the last few years.

We're so sure because it's literally our mission.

We know what we do works

1 of 4

Michigan universities named in the top 125 of TIME'S Best Colleges for Future Leaders 2026 list.¹

26%

higher earnings for CMU graduates just two years after graduation, compared to the national median.²

in Michigan for student access and graduate earnings, designating it as an "Opportunity University" by Carnegie.³

Roadmap

Eligibility, Terms and Conditions

¹TIME, 2025.
²According to Niche.com, 2024.
³Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, 2025.

Experience prepares you for what's next

Hands-on learning is woven into every stage of the student experience, giving you opportunities to apply your knowledge in real-world settings. Through internships, research with faculty, clinical and field experiences, student-run enterprises, service-learning projects and state-of-the-art labs, you'll move beyond the classroom to gain skills in your field.

Your path from student to professional starts here

Whether you're a first-year student exploring your interests or you've already declared your major, you can get support at every stage.

One-on-one career coaching and skills assessments
Résumé and cover-letter assistance
Interview prep and practice
Professional attire through First Impressions

Our Career Development Center makes sure you're ready for the job market with personalized guidance, practical tools and real-world experiences to confidently launch your career.

FAQs

Who is eligible to participate in the Central Career Guarantee?

Entering domestic first-year students and new domestic transfer students who have at least 60 credit hours remaining to earn their CMU undergraduate degree are eligible to participate in The Guarantee.
Students enrolled in both our on-campus programs and online programs are eligible to participate in The Guarantee.
Students who are not eligible to work in the United States are not eligible for The Guarantee.
International students and students with fewer than 60 credit hours remaining at CMU are not eligible for The Guarantee.
Graduate students are not eligible for The Guarantee.
All students can still take advantage of all the activities, workshops, tools and resources available at CMU included in The Guarantee roadmap.

Learn more about

Eligibility, Terms and Conditions

What about current students with fewer than 60 credit hours remaining?

Students (new or returning) who have fewer than 60 credit hours remaining to earn their CMU undergraduate degree are not eligible.
ALL students can take advantage of the resources, activities, tools and trainings that are part of the program, but only those who enroll before reaching 60 credit hours/while they still have at least two years left at CMU will be eligible for the Guarantee.

Is the program open to all majors?

Yes, students enrolled in any of CMU's undergraduate majors can participate in The Guarantee.
Students must opt-in to The Guarantee and confirm their participation each year.
Students can change majors without affecting their eligibility.

Can international students participate?

International students are not eligible for The Guarantee, but can take advantage of the resources, activities, tools and trainings that are part of the program.
CMU cannot guarantee employment for non-domestic students or those who are not eligible for employment in the U.S.

Are CMU Online students eligible for The Guarantee?

Yes! Entering domestic first-year students and new domestic transfer students who have at least 60 credit hours remaining to earn their CMU undergraduate degree online are eligible to participate in The Guarantee.

What is The Guarantee?

CMU guarantees that students who complete the Central Career Guarantee roadmap will receive a job offer or acceptance into graduate school within 6 months of their graduation from CMU.
Students who do not receive a job offer or acceptance into graduate school within the 6-month timeframe will be eligible to receive up to $2,000 to contribute to student loan payments or support their continued job search.

The Central Career Guarantee roadmap

What do students have to do to participate in the Central Career Guarantee?

New students must opt in to The Guarantee during their first semester at CMU, at which time they'll receive their Guarantee roadmap.

Current students with 60 or more credits remaining at Central Michigan University must opt in to The Guarantee during the fall 2026 semester. Students will receive communication about the opt-in process.

Students must successfully complete each phase of their Guarantee roadmap, which includes, but is not limited to:

Attending regular meetings with academic advisors, success and career coaches.
Participating in university events and activities.
Completing steps on their career roadmap. which they will develop with their advisor and career coach.
Taking advantage of Career Development Center Resources.

Students must graduate from CMU in good academic and financial standing and must be eligible to work in the United States.

Eligibility, Terms and Conditions

How much more work will participating in the program add to my schedule?

We estimate that completing the Career Guarantee protocol will add an average of approximately 1 hour a week to your schedule.

What counts as a job offer and/or acceptance into graduate school?

A "job offer" is any offer of a position that is degree-required or degree-preferred from an employer’s perspective, or that is student-desired, even if not in their field of study. Positions can be full-time or part-time positions.
If a program participant receives a job offer and chooses not to accept it, or if the student fails to meet conditions set by the employer to accept the position, such as a background check, they will be ineligible for the $2,000 Guarantee return.
Any offer from an accredited university offering the participant's program of choice counts as an acceptance into graduate school.
If a program participant receives an offer of acceptance and chooses not to enroll they are ineligible to receive the $2,000 Guarantee return.

What if I plan to start my own business?

That's amazing! Good luck on this exciting endeavor!

Because self-employment does not provide an official job offer letter from an employer, program participants planning to start their own business are not eligible to receive the Guarantee.

What does it mean to be in good academic and financial standing?

You are considered in good academic standing at the university when your cumulative GPA is 2.00 or greater.

You are considered in good financial standing at the university when your student account is paid in full and there are no outstanding charges.