UUÖ±²¥

A college degree is an expensive undertaking. Based on the most recent data, students typically owe around $37,338 on federal loans. That’s why it’s important for prospective college students to know whether their earnings will make up for the cost of their degree.

Here's the good news: People with bachelor's degrees usually make around than those who only finish high school. This means they earn 84% more on average. College graduates are also half as likely to be unemployed as those whose highest level of education is a high school diploma. 

Still, median earnings among college graduates vary significantly based on factors such as the area of study, the student's gender, and more. The college or university you choose to earn your degree from can also impact your earning potential post-graduation. 

We took a look at median earnings data collected by College Scorecard to better understand which school's alumni earn the most, both in the year following graduation and four years later. 

Alumni Earnings: By the Numbers

In order to compare alumni earnings, we looked at more than 1,200 institutions across the U.S. that offer bachelor’s degrees.

In the year immediately following graduation, the top median earnings among alumni were reported from Union Institute and University ($115,378 median earnings), Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($113,302), and Samuel Merritt University ($105,374) — all boasting six-figure median salaries. 

Four years after graduation, however, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) overtook the top spot, with median alumni earnings of $157,105. Meanwhile, Molloy College, Loma Linda University, Mount Saint Mary’s, and Dominican University New York all dropped in rankings, landing in 19th, 21st, 15th, and 18th places, respectively. 

Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Southern Methodist, and Yale University all joined the top 10 schools with the highest alumni median earnings four years post-grad. 

The median annual salary for almost all institutions rose between one and four years after graduation, but some colleges showed more dramatic growth. While most schools' alumni saw their salaries increase by around $12,067, the top schools had gains of nearly $50,000.

Projected Alumni Earnings Growth from 1 to 4 Years After Graduation

For example, New York Institute of Technology reported their graduates earned salaries of $20,096 a year after finishing school. But four years later, they were making around $69,849 each year. That's a gain of almost $50,000 over those three years. Yale, MIT, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Duke, and Southern Methodist University all showed increases of over $40,000 as well.

Alumni Earnings By Institution: Trends

Unsurprisingly, the top earners one year and four years after graduation were schools with a high percentage of STEM and finance graduates. These fields often lead to higher-paying jobs compared to many liberal arts degrees. 

Name recognition also seems to play a role in graduate earning potential, though well-known, prestigious universities were more likely to show higher earnings later in graduates’ careers. 

Prestigious Universities Offer Greater Long-Term Earning Potential

Smaller and less well-known schools might help graduates earn money right away, but it's the prestigious colleges and universities that produce the highest earners four years later.

In the year following graduation, smaller institutions — including Loma Linda University and Mount Saint Mary’s — made the list of top earners. In fact, about half of the top 10 highest-earning institutions in the year after graduation have less than 2,000 undergraduate students, according to College Scorecard. 

However, four years after graduation, bigger schools made up most of the top ten earners. Eight of these schools were medium-sized universities, hosting between 2,000 and 15,000 undergraduate students. Schools that are more prestigious made this list, too. Ivy league colleges Yale and UPenn boasted higher median salaries four years after graduating. 

Several well-regarded institutions, such as Duke, Yale, MIT and UPenn, showed dramatic increases in median earnings between one and four years, suggesting graduates have sustained salary growth and long-term earning potential. 

The reason for this is unclear, though a school’s name recognition and larger alumni network could certainly give these graduates a leg up in their careers over the long run. 

High Concentration of Higher-Earning Degree Fields at Top Institutions

One important factor to consider when measuring alumni earnings is the field of study, as certain disciplines have a greater earning potential than others, both in the short- and long-term.

In the year after graduation, the most popular field of study for five of the 10 top-earning schools was nursing. Four years after graduation, that shifted to computer science and economics, each representing the most popular field of study for three of the top 10-earning institutions. Computer science was also the most popular field of study among schools with the highest growth in median earnings between one and four years post-grad. 

Considering that economics, computer science, and nursing all prepare graduates for higher-paying jobs than other disciplines, it’s no surprise that the highest-earning institutions produce a high number of graduates in these fields.

Early Career Earnings: Will A Degree Be Worth The Cost?

So what do these numbers mean for prospective students of these universities, and how can they be used to decide which school is the best fit? 

It’s clear that the highest-earning institutions vary over time. This is demonstrated by how the top-earning institutions can be different one year after graduating compared to a few years later.

Many factors can contribute to this, including alumni's career paths and fields of study. Clearly, degrees like computer science or nursing produce higher earners than other disciplines. 

Students choosing a college should look carefully at earnings data for their preferred field of study in addition to aggregate numbers. Additionally, comparing median salaries from different points in alumni’s post-college careers can give a better picture of long-term earning potential. 

Methodology

OnlineU used data from to compare the median alumni earnings of bachelor’s degree recipients across U.S.-based colleges. We analyzed median earnings one year after graduation and four years after graduation, as well as the projected gains between those years, to find both immediate earning potential and ongoing salary growth.