New research finds creative and AI skills help students get hired faster and thrive in the workforce

With a new academic year underway, higher education leaders are facing a pivotal challenge: How can their campuses ensure that students are not only graduating, but also graduating ready for a rapidly evolving workforce?

The pressure is real. AI is reshaping job roles across every industry. Employers are looking beyond transcripts to find adaptable thinkers and creative problem solvers who can use AI and design tools to communicate ideas with clarity and impact.

Earlier this year, Adobe’s Creativity and AI in Education report illustrated how educators see creativity and AI literacy as essential skills for the future.

Adobe's latest research, conducted in partnership with Edelman, is the first in a three-part series exploring how creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) affect student careers, academics, and campus engagement. The reports are based on insights collected from over 3,000 students and early-career alumni from around the globe.

The first report focuses on career outcomes and reveals that institutions that excel in this area share a common trait: They invest significantly in building creative and AI skills at scale. This benefit is particularly evident in Adobe Creative Campuses — colleges and universities that provide equitable access to Adobe tools for all students and purposefully integrate these tools into their learning across various disciplines.

Turning skills into career advantage

Students and employers alike are shifting the conversation from “What did you major in?” to “What can you actually do?” That’s where Adobe tools, including Adobe Express, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Adobe Firefly, are making a measurable difference. College students who use these tools aren’t just gaining technical proficiency — they're also developing essential, adaptable, future-ready skills that employers recognize and value.

This type of academic engagement matters. For many students, these creative moments spark clarity in purpose and new career directions. In fact, 84 percent of students who changed their major reported that creative or AI tools influenced their decision, especially when they were introduced early through general education or elective courses.

The Adobe Creative Campus effect

Innovative institutions are going even further. As part of the Adobe Creative Campus program, select colleges and universities are expanding access to Adobe tools for all students across all majors and departments. The results are compelling:

• Creative Campus students report higher AI literacy, stronger communication skills, and greater academic confidence.
• Graduates from Creative Campuses are getting hired faster — with business majors landing jobs 15 percent sooner than their peers.
• AI literacy preparedness is significantly higher among Creative Campus students (86 percent) vs. students without access to Adobe tools and the skills they provide (63 percent).

These outcomes aren’t limited to design or media programs. Across Adobe Creative Campuses, students in fields such as biology, sociology, business, and engineering are developing real-world communication skills through creative assignments, including infographics, AI-enhanced pitch decks, and interactive portfolios.

In a recent webinar exploring the report’s findings, Megan Workman Larson from Arizona State University, an Adobe Creative Campus Innovator, shared:

From class projects to career assets and job placement

One of the most consistent findings in the research is that Adobe-powered students excel at transforming creative assignments into job-ready materials. Adobe tools help students showcase that confidence, not just with words, but with creative, visual, and compelling portfolios and applications.

In fact, 93 percent of early-career professionals who used Adobe tools discussed them in job interviews, and 81 percent of current students intend to do the same when interviewing for internships and jobs. And that experience and those materials aren’t just impressive, they’re effective.

Students who develop Adobe skills and materials are landing jobs faster than their peers, with Creative Campus graduates reaching full-time employment up to 15 percent sooner and with gains seen across majors.

In a hiring landscape transformed by automation and AI, the most valuable candidates are those who can think creatively, communicate visually, and collaborate with generative tools, not just use them to summarize search results. As Matthew Edelman, whose team at Edelman conducted the research, shared:

A call to action for innovative campus leaders

This report highlights not only what students are capable of but also what institutions must do to remain relevant, competitive, and focused on students in an era of rapid change. Skills such as creative thinking, AI fluency, and effective communication are no longer optional; they’ve become essential differentiators that influence both student success and the reputation of institutions.

As employers across industries raise the bar, higher education must do the same. As Wendy Fitch, Head of Creative at H&R Block, shared in the same webinar:

The challenge for colleges and universities has shifted from whether creative and AI skills are important to how they can be integrated early, equitably, and intentionally into educational programs. Institutions that dedicate themselves to developing these skills across various disciplines are not only preparing students for future employment, but they’re also nurturing confident, future-ready graduates who are equipped to lead, adapt, and thrive in a constantly changing world.