100 colleges whose grads go on to earn the most
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100 colleges whose grads go on to earn the most
Many colleges and universities help prepare students for life after finals and dissertations by setting up virtual job fairs, providing online office hours for career development, and reaching out to companies to create co-op programs for potential student hires. And while finding high-paying jobs can sometimes be challenging, there are plenty of schools that have a history of placing their graduates into big companies.
Stacker compiled a list of the colleges whose graduates earn the most, using 2021 data—released in 2023—from PayScale. Colleges are ranked by the highest mid-career earnings, with ties broken by early career earnings. Mid-career earnings are median salaries for alumni with 10+ years of experience, and early career earnings are for alumni with 0-5 years of experience. Slides also include the percentage of students earning degrees in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—as well as the percentage of those who report that their work is not only important to them personally but also, they believe, has a positive effect on the world at large, defined here as “high meaning.”
Many schools produce yearly reports of graduated student placement, which usually include whether the alumni are employed, attending graduate school, applying to graduate school, in a fellowship program, serving in the military, or searching for jobs. While some fields dictate some kind of prerequisite before full-time employment—such as a paid internship or mentor program—it’s not uncommon for new graduates to be thrown right into the working world with jobs at major companies like Amazon, Citi, and Google.
Did your school make the list? Read on to find out and learn other morsels of information, like the non-aquatic environments where Coast Guard trainees go on to work, which schools employ “micro-internship” programs, and the surprising #1 on the list. And be sure to check out related Stacker topics, such as college majors that make the most money.
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#100. Carleton College
– Mid-career pay: $125,200
– Early career pay: $62,100
– Percent high meaning: 45%
– Percent STEM degrees: 42%
In a 2015 survey of Carleton graduates, only 6% of students were seeking employment. Others were busy with careers and graduate school. Multiple grads go on to work at big companies like Amazon, Google, and Thomson Reuters. Carleton has also produced several Pulitzer Prize winners.
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#99. Occidental College
– Mid-career pay: $125,300
– Early career pay: $60,300
– Percent high meaning: 50%
– Percent STEM degrees: 22%
Through the Seal Awards, established in 1965, Oxy (as faculty and students call the small liberal arts college) pays a yearly tribute to inspiring alumni with outstanding accomplishments in community service and professional fields. The college’s prestige was boosted in recent decades when one of its former students became President of the United States: Barack Obama attended Oxy for two years, before transferring to Columbia University.
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#98. Missouri University of Science and Technology
– Mid-career pay: $125,500
– Early career pay: $72,600
– Percent high meaning: 51%
– Percent STEM degrees: 81%
The Missouri University of Science and Technology has traditionally placed 90-100% of its graduates with an SAP Certificate of Excellence. Students go on to work at SAP, BMW, Boeing, Deloitte, and many other top companies.
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#97. Loyola University Maryland
– Mid-career pay: $125,800
– Early career pay: $64,200
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 9%
Historically, 95% of Loyola graduates are employed or pursuing graduate school within six months. These alumni land at top firms and organizations, including Bloomberg, Deloitte, the National Institutes of Health, the Wall Street Journal, and some of the nation’s most-celebrated graduate schools.
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#96. Emory University
– Mid-career pay: $125,800
– Early career pay: $68,400
– Percent high meaning: 46%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
The School of Medicine is the most prestigious of the nine schools that make up Emory University. Graduates may land a job at Emory Healthcare, the largest medical system in Georgia, where 2,800 physicians specialize in 70 different fields.
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#95. Johns Hopkins University
– Mid-career pay: $125,800
– Early career pay: $73,500
– Percent high meaning: 59%
– Percent STEM degrees: 34%
JHU is the oldest research university in the nation. Founded in 1876, the school has produced many notable CEOs, scientists, conservationists, and authors, as well as winners of Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and Pulitzer Prizes, and a U.S. president: Woodrow Wilson.
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#94. Washington University in St. Louis
– Mid-career pay: $126,400
– Early career pay: $70,000
– Percent high meaning: 43%
– Percent STEM degrees: 31%
The WUSL School of Medicine is one of the largest academic clinical practices in the nation. It employs almost 1,800 physicians, who provide clinical care at more than 60 sites. Twenty-six Nobel laureates have been affiliated with the institution.
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#93. Case Western Reserve University
– Mid-career pay: $126,600
– Early career pay: $72,100
– Percent high meaning: 47%
– Percent STEM degrees: 35%
Case Western’s law school churns out scores of lawyers ready to enter the workforce, and its medical school is regularly ranked among the best in the country. Alumni in other programs include Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.
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#92. Boston College
– Mid-career pay: $126,800
– Early career pay: $69,000
– Percent high meaning: 43%
– Percent STEM degrees: 16%
Economics, finance, biology, and political science number among the most popular majors at Boston College. Alumni have gone on to hold top leadership positions at companies like Goldman Sachs, Google, and Condé Nast.
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#91. Villanova University
– Mid-career pay: $126,900
– Early career pay: $70,700
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 21%
Villanova reports that over 98% of graduates have a successful placement rate, with over 70% employed and others involved in continuing education or other pursuits. Finance and consulting are the top two fields recent Villanova graduates enter.
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#90. Illinois Institute of Technology
– Mid-career pay: $127,000
– Early career pay: $70,300
– Percent high meaning: 50%
– Percent STEM degrees: 59%
Recent engineering and science graduates from the Illinois Institute of Technology have gone on to work for hundreds of companies. The median first-job salary for graduates is over $70,000. A number of students continue their education with graduate studies at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Cornell.
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#89. College of the Holy Cross
– Mid-career pay: $127,100
– Early career pay: $65,600
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 21%
Many Holy Cross grads work in technology, health care, financial services, education, and politics, and a handful of alumni enter the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps Vista.
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#88. The King’s University
– Mid-career pay: $127,500
– Early career pay: $64,300
– Percent high meaning: 37%
– Percent STEM degrees: 0%
The King’s University was founded in 1997, and many students receive credit for experiential learning. The school offers 16 accredited vocational ministry degrees and has been ranked one of the top Bible colleges in the U.S.
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#87. Bentley University
– Mid-career pay: $127,900
– Early career pay: $72,500
– Percent high meaning: 37%
– Percent STEM degrees: 7%
Bentley touts a 98% job placement rate, and according to The Princeton Review, it’s #1 in career services. The school site features a collection of blog posts about internship preparation, and alums include Jay Leno (who joked during a commencement speech that he was unfocused in college).
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#86. Middlebury College
– Mid-career pay: $128,000
– Early career pay: $66,100
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 21%
The most popular undergraduate majors at Middlebury are econometrics and qualitative economics, computer science, political science and government, environmental studies, and neuroscience. The institution prides itself on teaching its students to be “independent thinkers, committed to service, with the courage to follow their convictions and to accept responsibility for their actions.”
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#85. University of California-Davis
– Mid-career pay: $128,000
– Early career pay: $66,800
– Percent high meaning: 53%
– Percent STEM degrees: 34%
STEM majors are in abundance at UC-Davis, with biological sciences and neurobiology, physiology, and behavior being popular majors. The school holds internship and career fairs to help future graduates.
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#84. Northwestern University
– Mid-career pay: $128,000
– Early career pay: $68,800
– Percent high meaning: 45%
– Percent STEM degrees: 22%
Only 3% of recent Northwestern graduates say they are actively job searching—the rest are employed, pursuing graduate school studies, or serving in the military. Business and financial services was the top field for recent grads, with many of the alumni based in Illinois, California, or New York. One graduate even went on to host his own talk show.
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#83. Fairfield University
– Mid-career pay: $128,500
– Early career pay: $67,700
– Percent high meaning: 37%
– Percent STEM degrees: 12%
Fairfield boasts a 99% placement rate post-grad. Well-known alumni include John L. Flannery, who in 2017 was named chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric.
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#82. Maine Maritime Academy
– Mid-career pay: $128,600
– Early career pay: $71,100
– Percent high meaning: 58%
– Percent STEM degrees: 44%
At least 90% of graduates of the Maine Maritime Academy are usually employed within 90 days of graduation. However, not every alum goes right to the seas. Students have gone on to work for Tesla, PepsiCo, and Siemens.
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#81. University of the Sciences
– Mid-career pay: $128,700
– Early career pay: $63,400
– Percent high meaning: 72%
– Percent STEM degrees: 22%
Many alumni of the University of the Sciences have gone on to illustrious careers in pharmaceuticals, including the founders of Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The university offers a career resources library for all students and alumni.
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#80. Boston University
– Mid-career pay: $128,700
– Early career pay: $66,400
– Percent high meaning: 42%
– Percent STEM degrees: 27%
With over 36,000 students—an uncommonly large number for a private research institution—Boston University is classified as R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity. Among its alumni you will find eight Nobel laureates, 23 Pulitzer Prize winners, and several Rhodes, Marshall, MacArthur, Fulbright, and Truman scholars. The telephone was invented in a BU lab in 1876 by then professor, Alexander Graham Bell.
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#79. Wake Forest University
– Mid-career pay: $128,900
– Early career pay: $65,300
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 15%
Nike, FedEx, and Volvo gobble up Wake Forest graduates, who are in high demand. Historically, 98% of grads are employed or in grad school six months after graduation. Those who choose to continue their studies often attend Ivy League colleges and others like Duke and Notre Dame. Finance and consulting are the top fields for recent Wake Forest grads.
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#78. Virginia Military Institute
– Mid-career pay: $129,000
– Early career pay: $69,700
– Percent high meaning: 67%
– Percent STEM degrees: 48%
VMI deploys the Handshake program, a virtual portal with over 500 companies offering jobs and internships. The most recent data shows that more than 200 new graduates were commissioned in the U.S. Armed Forces. Other cadets went on to work for the American Red Cross, Bloomberg LP, and General Motors.
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#77. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
– Mid-career pay: $129,000
– Early career pay: $70,500
– Percent high meaning: 58%
– Percent STEM degrees: 94%
New Mexico Tech offers a Cooperative Education/Internship Program to help students get a leg up on their job search. Recent graduates have found work as software engineers, geologists, and research scientists. Lockheed Martin, the United States Air Force, and the Forest Service number among the employers that hire New Mexico Tech students.
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#76. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University
– Mid-career pay: $129,200
– Early career pay: $68,200
– Percent high meaning: 70%
– Percent STEM degrees: 1%
The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences provides students with a series of fellowships and residencies. Students can pursue fellowships that are centered on academics and research, biopharmaceutical studies, and more traditional programs. The postgraduate Year 1 residencies are affiliated with seven Boston hospitals, and one in Worcester/Manchester.
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#75. Barnard College
– Mid-career pay: $129,300
– Early career pay: $64,300
– Percent high meaning: 56%
– Percent STEM degrees: 20%
More than 90% of Barnard graduates are working or in graduate school six months after graduation. A majority of students end up working in financial services, tech, education, nonprofits, and journalism. Columbia University is the most common graduate school attended by recent Barnard graduates: It boasts top business, law, and medical schools.
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#74. University of California-Los Angeles
– Mid-career pay: $129,300
– Early career pay: $66,500
– Percent high meaning: 49%
– Percent STEM degrees: 33%
Almost two-thirds of UCLA graduates completed one or more internships, leading to jobs at Facebook, Disney, and Intel. The research, finance, and computer science sectors hired the most UCLA graduates. The school also has micro-internship programs through Parker Dewey that prepare students for future success.
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#73. Gettysburg College
– Mid-career pay: $129,500
– Early career pay: $61,800
– Percent high meaning: 43%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
The National Football League, the State Department, and MTV are some of the companies where you can find recent Gettysburg grads. Some students even took internship opportunities to land work with NASA. This Pennsylvania college also has a special initiative for entrepreneurship and social innovation.
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#72. Wesleyan University
– Mid-career pay: $129,600
– Early career pay: $67,000
– Percent high meaning: 47%
– Percent STEM degrees: 20%
Graduates of this university are often drawn to careers in arts and entertainment, health care, and the nonprofit sector. Booz Allen Hamilton, the management and IT consulting firm, hires many Wesleyan grads, while those who pursue graduate education enroll in schools including Princeton, Cambridge, and Oxford.
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#71. New Jersey Institute of Technology
– Mid-career pay: $129,600
– Early career pay: $69,200
– Percent high meaning: 52%
– Percent STEM degrees: 76%
NJIT places students with companies like Apple, Panasonic, and Verizon, among many others. Virtual open hours were set up by the school’s career services department as an additional resource to assist students and alumni in navigating the job market.
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#70. Vanderbilt University
– Mid-career pay: $129,600
– Early career pay: $71,500
– Percent high meaning: 46%
– Percent STEM degrees: 25%
Vanderbilt guides students toward careers that are a good complement to their studies. Two U.S. vice presidents attended Vanderbilt, including Al Gore.
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#69. Franklin and Marshall College
– Mid-career pay: $129,700
– Early career pay: $61,600
– Percent high meaning: 40%
– Percent STEM degrees: 24%
Established in 1787, Franklin College—the original institution that later merged with Marshall College to become F&M—was the first bilingual higher education school in the nation (classes were imparted in English and German). It was also the first one to accept female students.
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#68. Loyola Marymount University
– Mid-career pay: $129,700
– Early career pay: $63,200
– Percent high meaning: 38%
– Percent STEM degrees: 9%
Loyola Marymount had a 97% placement rate in 2020, with 70% of graduates employed. Some of the top employers of LMU grads are Apple, Google, Disney, and Microsoft.
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#67. Kettering University
– Mid-career pay: $130,300
– Early career pay: $75,700
– Percent high meaning: 42%
– Percent STEM degrees: 75%
Kettering prides itself on setting up students for careers in STEM. The school employs a co-op program, connecting students with 420 companies, including Dupont, Ford Motor Company, and Mitsubishi.
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#66. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
– Mid-career pay: $130,800
– Early career pay: $70,500
– Percent high meaning: 51%
– Percent STEM degrees: 39%
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo’s “learn by doing” philosophy ensures that graduates are prepared to help solve the world’s challenges. An estimated 95% of grads find employment within 9 months of graduating.
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#65. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
– Mid-career pay: $131,200
– Early career pay: $73,000
– Percent high meaning: 58%
– Percent STEM degrees: 40%
ERAU-Prescott offers a variety of unique degrees including forensic biology, space physics, and simulation science. It’s not uncommon for alumni to start their own companies—Katalyst Space Technologies was created to explore innovations in satellite operations.
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#64. Pomona College
– Mid-career pay: $131,300
– Early career pay: $70,200
– Percent high meaning: 51%
– Percent STEM degrees: 33%
Pomona reported that 96% of graduates find jobs or fellowships, are accepted to grad school, or accept a service opportunity within six months of graduation. Amazon, Microsoft, and Accenture are some of the notable employers of recent Pomona grads. Those continuing to graduate school enrolled at prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Stanford.
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#63. University of California-Santa Barbara
– Mid-career pay: $131,400
– Early career pay: $63,600
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 29%
Beyond the usual in-person events, UC Santa Barbara added virtual career fairs to help current students find jobs. The school has also produced a Nobel Prize winner—Carol W. Greider—who won the award in 2009.
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#62. University of Virginia-Main Campus
– Mid-career pay: $131,700
– Early career pay: $69,800
– Percent high meaning: 44%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
UVA’s Career Center offers a Career Guide to help about-to-graduate students get the best start. The school also has the #1 alumni network of all Virginia Public Schools, according to the Princeton Review.
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#61. University of Chicago
– Mid-career pay: $131,700
– Early career pay: $70,700
– Percent high meaning: 38%
– Percent STEM degrees: 25%
Recent graduates of the University of Chicago found employment at companies including Citi, Goldman Sachs, and J.P. Morgan, and were employed in 40-plus countries on six continents. More than 90% of law school and 80% of med school applicants were accepted into graduate programs.
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#60. Union College (New York)
– Mid-career pay: $131,900
– Early career pay: $68,400
– Percent high meaning: 45%
– Percent STEM degrees: 44%
Union College touts the 12th-best career services department, according to The Princeton Review. Finance, banking, and engineering are the most popular field for recent graduates. The school also has a robust international internship program.
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#59. Tufts University
– Mid-career pay: $132,000
– Early career pay: $70,700
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 27%
Tufts’ class of 2021 had a 95% placement rate. Finance, health sciences, and engineering were among the top industry sectors employing Tufts grads. Outside of Boston, Tufts grads mostly spread out to New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago.
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#58. New York University
– Mid-career pay: $132,100
– Early career pay: $67,900
– Percent high meaning: 42%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
Ninety-five percent of 2021 graduates were working six months after graduation, and NYU resources were responsible for almost three-quarters of those jobs. Many had secured jobs before graduation. Top fields for NYU grads include entertainment/media, health care, and financial services/banking.
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#57. Samuel Merritt University
– Mid-career pay: $132,600
– Early career pay: $99,500
– Percent high meaning: data unavailable
– Percent STEM degrees: 0%
Located in Oakland, California, Samuel Merritt places graduates in the Bay Area and beyond. The school specializes in nursing, podiatric medicine, occupational therapy, and other fields. Recently, Samuel Merritt teamed with Kaiser Permanente to strengthen the nursing corps in the Fresno area.
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#56. Yeshiva University
– Mid-career pay: $133,300
– Early career pay: $68,400
– Percent high meaning: 33%
– Percent STEM degrees: 9%
Yeshiva University’s 2021 post-graduation survey reported that 95% of graduates had a destination within six months. Accounting, education, and financial services were popular career paths for grads.
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#55. University of Southern California
– Mid-career pay: $133,300
– Early career pay: $70,400
– Percent high meaning: 47%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
USC sees hundreds of companies recruit their graduates each year—Chevron, iHeartMedia, and NBC Universal are just a few examples. At the prestigious Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, 99% of 2021 journalism graduates with a bachelor of arts found jobs. USC’s film school counts George Lucas and Judd Apatow among its alumni.
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#54. Amherst College
– Mid-career pay: $133,400
– Early career pay: $68,700
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 35%
Amherst students have won a number of scholarships and fellowships, including the Fulbright, Gates, and Rhodes. Google, J.P. Morgan, and Bain & Co. are some of the big-name companies hiring Amherst grads, who can pick from 41 majors for a Bachelor of Arts degree.
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#53. George Washington University
– Mid-career pay: $133,600
– Early career pay: $66,000
– Percent high meaning: 47%
– Percent STEM degrees: 20%
George Washington University offers an extensive career coaching program, preparing students for jobs in Washington D.C. and beyond. A third of George Washington graduates work for nonprofits or in public government. Health care, PR/marketing, and legal/law enforcement are among the most popular fields for George Washington grads.
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#52. University of California-Irvine
– Mid-career pay: $133,800
– Early career pay: $65,100
– Percent high meaning: 50%
– Percent STEM degrees: 38%
During the pandemic, UCI set up virtual career fairs for specialized fields like STEM. Engineering, applied innovation, and pharmaceutical sciences are popular majors that offer unique collaborations with organizations like the National Institutes of Health.
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#51. University of California-San Diego
– Mid-career pay: $135,300
– Early career pay: $69,300
– Percent high meaning: 53%
– Percent STEM degrees: 52%
UC San Diego grads are evenly spread out through a number of fields. While technology is the most popular sector for recent San Diego alumni, the fields of research, consulting, economics, and environment/energy/sustainability account for 50% of jobs. The geographic range of employment is impressive—20% of San Diego grads found jobs in Asia.
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#50. Brandeis University
– Mid-career pay: $135,700
– Early career pay: $64,500
– Percent high meaning: 46%
– Percent STEM degrees: 35%
Brandeis’ MBA program is particularly robust. Fully 100% of students who wanted one got an internship or field project or both, and 92% of grads were employed within 6 months of graduation. More generally, 98% of all 2022 graduates found employment or a graduate studies program, and while a majority of grads remained on the East Coast, many alumni found jobs in Japan and China.
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#49. Bowdoin College
– Mid-career pay: $135,900
– Early career pay: $67,200
– Percent high meaning: 51%
– Percent STEM degrees: 34%
Data about Bowdoin’s 2020 graduating class showed that 92% were employed or in grad school after graduation. Students went on to work for Bain Consulting, Barclays, HBO, and other companies. The school’s most famous alums include the 14th U.S. president, Franklin Pierce, as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth.
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#48. Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
– Mid-career pay: $136,000
– Early career pay: $90,800
– Percent high meaning: data unavailable
– Percent STEM degrees: 10%
Charles R. Drew University was founded in 1966 in the wake of the Watts Rebellion with the goal of halting disparities in health care. CDU offers a wide range of degrees and certificates in the medical field, including nursing, X-ray technology, medicine, biomedical science, computed tomography, and psychology. Since its onset, CDU has graduated more than 10,000 students ready to board the health care industry.
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#47. Manhattan College
– Mid-career pay: $136,100
– Early career pay: $68,000
– Percent high meaning: 45%
– Percent STEM degrees: 37%
The most recent job placement numbers from Manhattan College report that 85% of 2021 graduates were employed or in grad school. Yelp, Morgan Stanley, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are some of the employers of Manhattan grads, who benefit from internships throughout New York City at industry leaders like the National Football League and Deloitte.
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#46. Bates College
– Mid-career pay: $136,600
– Early career pay: $62,800
– Percent high meaning: 49%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
In 2021, 97% of Bates graduates reported having settled into careers. Bates alums can be found working in 30 foreign countries including South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Senegal. A plethora of writers and politicians graduated from Bates, including Robert F. Kennedy.
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#45. Bucknell University
– Mid-career pay: $136,900
– Early career pay: $72,000
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 39%
Bucknell graduates found jobs with the New York Times, Bank of America, and Deloitte. Medical and law school are other popular postgraduate paths for Bucknell grads.
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#44. Columbia University in the City of New York
– Mid-career pay: $138,200
– Early career pay: $78,200
– Percent high meaning: 45%
– Percent STEM degrees: 33%
Of Columbia’s college and engineering schools’ 2021 classes, 90% of students were employed or in graduate school. These students had a median starting salary of $80,000, and over 97% of students from these schools completed at least one internship. Three U.S. presidents attended Columbia, including Barack Obama, who started a scholars program at his alma mater.
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#43. Lafayette College
– Mid-career pay: $138,500
– Early career pay: $72,600
– Percent high meaning: 37%
– Percent STEM degrees: 46%
Lafayette reports that only 2% of 2021 grads are still seeking placement. Economics majors had particular success finding full-time employment after graduation, working at companies like Bank of America, Citi, and Wells Fargo & Company.
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#42. California State University Maritime Academy
– Mid-career pay: $138,700
– Early career pay: $73,100
– Percent high meaning: 58%
– Percent STEM degrees: 20%
Cal Maritime is the #1 public university in California for alumni earnings 10 years after enrollment. The Equality of Opportunity Project ranks Cal Maritime as the top California college for “raising students from the bottom 20% in family income to the top 20%.”
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#41. Cornell University
– Mid-career pay: $139,600
– Early career pay: $75,800
– Percent high meaning: 44%
– Percent STEM degrees: 45%
Students from Cornell’s popular College of Agriculture and Life Sciences had an average starting salary of over $62,000. Multiple graduates from the agriculture school found work in Europe and Asia. Schoolwide, only 3% of 2021 graduates were still seeking employment, according to the school’s latest report.
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#40. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
– Mid-career pay: $139,800
– Early career pay: $73,700
– Percent high meaning: 38%
– Percent STEM degrees: 65%
Cooper Union is perhaps best known for its free tuition plan, but it also has stellar job placement stats. The class of 2020 was employed within 6 months of graduating to the tune of 95%. Cooper students are hired by dozens of architecture firms and studios.
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#39. Clarkson University
– Mid-career pay: $139,900
– Early career pay: $70,700
– Percent high meaning: 58%
– Percent STEM degrees: 52%
The class of 2019 reports salaries more than 10% higher than the national average. Overall, 97% of Clarkson grads found placement within six months of their graduation.
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#38. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
– Mid-career pay: $140,500
– Early career pay: $76,700
– Percent high meaning: 49%
– Percent STEM degrees: 79%
RPI has had great success placing graduates into top-paying jobs. In 2020, the average starting salary across all disciplines ranged from $54,000 to more than $100,000 (in the computer sciences). The school also has co-op programs with 3M, Apple, Toyota, and many other companies.
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#37. Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
– Mid-career pay: $141,100
– Early career pay: $75,900
– Percent high meaning: 82%
– Percent STEM degrees: 3%
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences focuses on pharmaceutical sciences and public health but also has respected microbiology and clinical laboratory sciences programs. The college is ranked highly for ROI.
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#36. Haverford College
– Mid-career pay: $141,200
– Early career pay: $65,400
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 37%
Haverford grads enter business and finance more than any other field. Education is a close second, with many grads going on to teach at the college level. Other students were employed at international companies in Austria, Barbados, Israel, and Malawi.
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#35. Rice University
– Mid-career pay: $141,600
– Early career pay: $77,900
– Percent high meaning: 53%
– Percent STEM degrees: 45%
Rice graduates most commonly enter computer/software occupations, with business and finance a close second. Accenture is a top employer, along with Microsoft and Facebook. Architecture and engineering are rising fields for Rice alums.
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#34. Georgetown University
– Mid-career pay: $141,700
– Early career pay: $71,600
– Percent high meaning: 44%
– Percent STEM degrees: 13%
Georgetown’s MBA program has a near-perfect rate of success in placing graduates in high-paying jobs. As of 2022, 96% of grads got a job offer and 95% found it acceptable.
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#33. Brown University
– Mid-career pay: $142,400
– Early career pay: $74,700
– Percent high meaning: 43%
– Percent STEM degrees: 40%
In the class of 2021, 71% of Brown students were employed—the sixth year in a row the school hit the 70% mark. Students found the most jobs in finance, banking, and real estate, as well as various nonprofit fields. Brown has also produced a number of famous actors like John Krasinski, Emma Watson, and Laura Linney.
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#32. Duke University
– Mid-career pay: $142,500
– Early career pay: $76,800
– Percent high meaning: 52%
– Percent STEM degrees: 27%
For the class of 2022, Duke grads leaned towards jobs in technology, e-commerce, and financial services. Those who chose to go on to graduate studies, schools like Harvard, the University of Illinois, and Duke itself were among the most popular choices.
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#31. Swarthmore College
– Mid-career pay: $142,900
– Early career pay: $70,800
– Percent high meaning: 46%
– Percent STEM degrees: 36%
Swarthmore saw 74% of grads from its class of 2022 successfully complete an internship. In addition, 67% of grads said they plan to enroll in graduate or professional school within five years. A majority of employed alumni remain on the East Coast. Financial services and technology are the primary fields for grads.
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#30. Carnegie Mellon University
– Mid-career pay: $143,400
– Early career pay: $84,000
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 67%
Hundreds of Carnegie Mellon alums go on to roles at Apple, 3M, Google, and Facebook. Grads, in large part, find work or move onto the graduate studies programs on either the coasts or stick to the Pittsburgh area (where MCU is located).
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#29. University of Notre Dame
– Mid-career pay: $143,800
– Early career pay: $73,000
– Percent high meaning: 40%
– Percent STEM degrees: 29%
At Notre Dame, the class of 2021 reported only a 2% rate of grads still seeking employment. While most Fighting Irish go in to the job market post-grad, about a quarter choose graduate studies. Among the most popular employers taking ND graduates are Deloitte, Epic, and Goldman Sachs.
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#28. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
– Mid-career pay: $143,800
– Early career pay: $78,800
– Percent high meaning: 51%
– Percent STEM degrees: 87%
Worcester Polytechnic Institute reported an average starting salary for 2020 PhD grads of over $100,000. The actuarial mathematics, data science, and bioinformatics and computational biology programs had particularly high rates of placing graduates into employment.
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#27. Washington and Lee University
– Mid-career pay: $145,300
– Early career pay: $69,100
– Percent high meaning: 41%
– Percent STEM degrees: 19%
Washington and Lee University has a strict honor system that dates back to the 1840s. Since 1905, it has been administered by students through an executive committee. Pupils commit to not lie, cheat, steal, or violate the community’s trust. Those who break the honor vow are subject to expulsion. WLU is a liberal arts college with a catalog of 36 undergraduate majors, 41 minors, and a prestigious graduate school of law.
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#26. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
– Mid-career pay: $145,300
– Early career pay: $79,000
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 81%
Georgia Tech is regularly ranked as a top school for return on investment. In 2022, the average starting salary for a Georgia Tech grad was just over $54,000 with earnings averages rising to more than $61,000 after five years. Over 700 businesses have hired former Yellow Jackets.
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#25. United States Merchant Marine Academy
– Mid-career pay: $145,600
– Early career pay: $86,800
– Percent high meaning: 57%
– Percent STEM degrees: 53%
The Merchant Marine Academy claims that within six months of commencement, “virtually 100% of our graduates obtain well-paying employment.” Students have postgraduate obligations to fulfill, which can include serving time in the Armed Forces.
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#24. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
– Mid-career pay: $146,500
– Early career pay: $80,500
– Percent high meaning: 53%
– Percent STEM degrees: 97%
This school in Indiana takes job placement for its engineering students seriously. The biomedical engineering, civil engineering, and optical engineering programs at Rose-Hulman were among the departments with a 100% job placement rate for the class of 2022. Students from the chemical engineering, computer engineering, and mechanical engineering programs received offers for salaries of $100,000 or more.
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#23. Webb Institute
– Mid-career pay: $146,500
– Early career pay: $85,300
– Percent high meaning: 45%
– Percent STEM degrees: 100%
Webb promotes 100% job placement after graduation. The school specializes in producing naval architects and marine engineers. Grads go on to work for the Coast Guard, Navy, and top shipbuilding companies.
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#22. Lehigh University
– Mid-career pay: $147,300
– Early career pay: $74,600
– Percent high meaning: 46%
– Percent STEM degrees: 48%
At Lehigh, 97% of the 2021 class found placement after graduation. The college of business had the highest placement rate at 97%.
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#21. University of California-Berkeley
– Mid-career pay: $147,300
– Early career pay: $77,400
– Percent high meaning: 49%
– Percent STEM degrees: 42%
The most recent survey of Cal-Berkeley grads reports that the majority of recent grads went into business, working for the likes of Amazon, Barclays Capital, and Deutsche Bank.
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#20. United States Air Force Academy
– Mid-career pay: $148,600
– Early career pay: $80,100
– Percent high meaning: 65%
– Percent STEM degrees: 40%
The class of 2022 saw 1,434 men and women receive appointments into the class of 2022 and 1,182 inducted. Graduates must “incur a five-year service commitment,” with additional commitment depending on their training or schooling. Graduates go on to highly-respected positions such as combat systems operators or remotely-piloted aircraft sensor operators.
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#19. Colorado School of Mines
– Mid-career pay: $148,700
– Early career pay: $79,300
– Percent high meaning: 59%
– Percent STEM degrees: 96%
The Colorado School of Mines provides assistance and tracking for up to two years after graduation for all students until they reach their first destinations. The school reported the fourth-highest salary potential of all public colleges and universities.
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#18. Dartmouth College
– Mid-career pay: $149,800
– Early career pay: $77,600
– Percent high meaning: 44%
– Percent STEM degrees: 35%
Dartmouth’s 20122 class reported 48% of grads earning $90,000 or more. Finance and consulting are the top industries, accounting for 44% of jobs among the class. Major employers for Dartmouth grads are Amazon, Dartmouth itself, and Goldman Sachs.
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#17. Williams College
– Mid-career pay: $150,300
– Early career pay: $70,600
– Percent high meaning: 39%
– Percent STEM degrees: 34%
Recent Williams grads include six Watson Fellows, two Rhodes Scholars, and 50 Fulbright Scholars. Biology and economics are the most popular majors, and many recent grads said they received important career advice from Williams’ alumni network.
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#16. SUNY Maritime College
– Mid-career pay: $150,500
– Early career pay: $77,700
– Percent high meaning: 55%
– Percent STEM degrees: 36%
SUNY Maritime has consistently ranked well in a PayScale survey of the top four-year public colleges for graduates’ salary potential. Students vie for internships at companies like Carnival Cruise Line, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and the Port Authority of NY and NJ.
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#15. Stevens Institute of Technology
– Mid-career pay: $150,900
– Early career pay: $80,400
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 76%
Stevens Institute of Technology historically places at least 95% of graduates within six months after commencement. Engineering and science students can gain real world experience prior to graduation through internships and the school’s cooperative education program.
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#14. Claremont McKenna College
– Mid-career pay: $151,200
– Early career pay: $75,700
– Percent high meaning: 47%
– Percent STEM degrees: 28%
Claremont McKenna is known for its economics programs, computer sciences, and international relations majors. Numerous chief executive officers graduated from the school, among them Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture.
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#13. Yale University
– Mid-career pay: $151,600
– Early career pay: $78,000
– Percent high meaning: 53%
– Percent STEM degrees: 24%
Full-time employed graduates (working in the U.S.) from Yale’s 2022 class had a mean starting salary of $76,359. Finance and consulting jobs accounted for almost 30% of jobs for recent Yale grads, with Yale itself being the top employer. More than half of those employed worked in large organizations with 500 or more employees.
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#12. Colgate University
– Mid-career pay: $152,600
– Early career pay: $73,800
– Percent high meaning: 43%
– Percent STEM degrees: 27%
Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the National Institutes of Health are among the top employers of Colgate grads. Communications, consulting, and education are popular industries for recent Colgate alumni. 60 Minutes’ Andy Rooney and journalist Bob Woodruff are notable Colgate alums.
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#11. University of Pennsylvania
– Mid-career pay: $153,100
– Early career pay: $78,300
– Percent high meaning: 36%
– Percent STEM degrees: 23%
Almost half of all UPenn grads found jobs through UPenn’s career services office. Financial services was the top hiring industry, with many graduates working in consulting and technology as well.
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#10. California Institute of Technology
– Mid-career pay: $153,100
– Early career pay: $93,100
– Percent high meaning: 53%
– Percent STEM degrees: 98%
Bankrate deems Caltech the best value for research opportunities, and UniversityHQ notes that graduates can expect to earn over $2.5 million in 20 years. Caltech faculty and alumni include numerous Nobel Laureates.
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#9. United States Military Academy
– Mid-career pay: $154,300
– Early career pay: $84,200
– Percent high meaning: 60%
– Percent STEM degrees: 36%
After graduation, cadets enter an Army unit for three years. Some grads lead military police units, intelligence units, or small artillery fire support teams. After 20 years of service, West Point grads receive a guaranteed pension, among other benefits.
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#8. Santa Clara University
– Mid-career pay: $154,700
– Early career pay: $75,800
– Percent high meaning: 46%
– Percent STEM degrees: 28%
More than 90% of Santa Clara’s graduates reported employment within 6 months. One of Santa Clara’s most famous alumni, Steve Nash, was a star NBA point guard.
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#7. Babson College
– Mid-career pay: $155,400
– Early career pay: $77,800
– Percent high meaning: 43%
– Percent STEM degrees: 2%
Babson reports that 99% of graduates are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. Entrepreneurial spirit is encouraged at Babson: More than 5% of grads started businesses. Financial services and technology are the top industries where graduates land, with a significant number working in retail, apparel, or fashion.
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#6. Harvard University
– Mid-career pay: $156,200
– Early career pay: $80,900
– Percent high meaning: 49%
– Percent STEM degrees: 20%
Harvard graduates largely go into the finance, consulting, and technology sectors. Nearly two-thirds of all graduates expect a starting salary in excess of $70,000 right out of the gate. Eight U.S. presidents graduated with Harvard degrees.
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#5. Stanford University
– Mid-career pay: $156,500
– Early career pay: $87,100
– Percent high meaning: 55%
– Percent STEM degrees: 50%
Amazon, Meta, and LinkedIn are a few of the tech companies taking Stanford graduates. But not everyone at the Silicon Valley school works in tech—humanities, sciences, and engineering are also popular majors.
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#4. United States Naval Academy
– Mid-career pay: $160,100
– Early career pay: $83,700
– Percent high meaning: 61%
– Percent STEM degrees: 57%
Navy graduates can hold a variety of jobs, including leading sailors and Marines on ships, submarines, or SEAL teams. Students specializing in the technical nuclear power training program can apply to the Nuclear Power School in South Carolina. Naval special warfare, naval aviation, and submarine warfare are other popular fields.
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#3. Princeton University
– Mid-career pay: $161,500
– Early career pay: $81,800
– Percent high meaning: 48%
– Percent STEM degrees: 49%
The class of 2022 was business-heavy, with nearly half of employed grads going into that sector. Engineering, health care, and science and technology were also popular fields. Princeton grads average more than $90,00 per annum in earnings.
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#2. Harvey Mudd College
– Mid-career pay: $166,600
– Early career pay: $97,700
– Percent high meaning: 56%
– Percent STEM degrees: 75%
About 60% of Harvey Mudd graduates hit the job market immediately, commanding a median starting salary of $87,500. Astronauts Stan Love and George Nelson are Harvey Mudd alumni, as is Eric B. Kim, a marketing visionary who worked for Samsung and Intel.
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#1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
– Mid-career pay: $167,200
– Early career pay: $93,700
– Percent high meaning: 51%
– Percent STEM degrees: 68%
Internships are big at MIT: 42% of the class of 2022 received a full-time job offer as a result of theirs. Harvard, Cambridge, and MIT were top graduate school destinations for MIT grads, while some went directly to work at Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton. Other students found jobs with industry leaders in health care, government, energy/utilities, and information and technology.
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