2020 Best Colleges for Earning Potential
By the GradReports team | Updated April 1, 2020
Based on over 100,000 college degree programs and the starting salary data of over 5 million graduates, our rankings represent the most comprehensive collection of data-driven college rankings available to date. Covering over 70 majors at the bachelor's and master's levels, as well as the 20 most popular online degree programs, our rankings help prospective students answer the question, “What can I expect to make if I graduate from a particular school with a particular major?”
As expected, STEM fields dominate the list of high earning majors, with computer science graduates from Brown University earning a median salary of $141,100. Other high earning majors include business, finance, engineering, information technology, math, and nursing. Also noteworthy are the low incomes of humanities and social science majors such as anthropology, English, film production, history, journalism, music, social work, and writing. The top programs in these majors do not crack the $55,000 level.
Do elite colleges matter? In many programs, less selective colleges perform just as well as elite colleges. For example, the top three highest-earning schools for civil engineering majors are Stevens Institute of Technology ($72,700), Santa Clara University ($72,500) and San Jose State University ($72,100), topping more prestigious schools such as Notre Dame ($69,200), Cornell University ($67,100), and Columbia University ($66,000). Given the magnitude of the student debt crisis in the US, our goal is to help students make more informed schooling choices that will unburden their careers after college. We are excited to be the first publisher to provide comprehensive rankings of colleges based on student earnings from the Department of Education. Below are the list of rankings for bachelor's programs. You can also see the rankings for the best graduate programs, best online degree programs, and best online master's programs.
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Georgetown University | $83,100 |
| #2 Santa Clara University | $65,300 |
| #3 Fordham University | $65,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $80,100 |
| #2 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $71,600 |
| #3 University of Southern California | $70,500 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Cornell University | $73,300 |
| #2 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $54,700 |
| #3 Kansas State University | $51,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Monmouth University | $41,600 |
| #2 New York University | $39,500 |
| #3 Columbia University in the City of New York | $35,100 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Notre Dame | $55,200 |
| #2 Carnegie Mellon University | $53,700 |
| #3 Lawrence Technological University | $53,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of North Texas | $54,100 |
| #2 Everglades University | $51,000 |
| #3 Kansas State University | $49,600 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Dartmouth College | $42,600 |
| #2 University of Detroit Mercy | $41,600 |
| #3 University of the Pacific | $41,500 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Pennsylvania | $74,300 |
| #2 Duke University | $71,700 |
| #3 Pennsylvania State University | $70,100 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | $76,900 |
| #2 Carnegie Mellon University | $76,800 |
| #3 University of California - Berkeley | $76,600 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Rice University | $80,100 |
| #2 Texas A&M University-College Station | $79,900 |
| #3 The University of Texas at Austin | $78,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 College of the Holy Cross | $45,800 |
| #2 University of Wisconsin - Madison | $45,700 |
| #3 University of Houston | $45,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Stevens Institute of Technology | $72,700 |
| #2 Santa Clara University | $72,500 |
| #3 San Jose State University | $72,100 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Pennsylvania | $49,400 |
| #2 Cornell University | $47,100 |
| #3 Boston College | $45,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Brown University | $141,100 |
| #2 Carnegie Mellon University | $138,900 |
| #3 Harvard University | $128,900 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Alaska Anchorage | $72,400 |
| #2 Arizona State University | $69,000 |
| #3 Wentworth Institute of Technology | $68,200 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Union Institute & University | $109,800 |
| #2 Herzing University | $57,600 |
| #3 Central Christian College of Kansas | $51,800 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Maryland - College Park | $39,100 |
| #2 University of Houston-Clear Lake | $38,800 |
| #3 Framingham State University | $37,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Pacific University | $69,900 |
| #2 University of Southern California | $69,400 |
| #3 University of Maryland-Baltimore | $68,900 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Duke University | $89,800 |
| #2 Dartmouth College | $84,200 |
| #3 University of Chicago | $83,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $116,600 |
| #2 University of California - Berkeley | $116,600 |
| #3 Carnegie Mellon University | $99,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Monmouth University | $42,100 |
| #2 Columbia University in the City of New York | $41,500 |
| #3 University of Houston-Clear Lake | $41,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $62,600 |
| #2 Pennsylvania State University | $58,500 |
| #3 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | $58,200 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Columbia Southern University | $58,900 |
| #2 University of Maryland Global Campus | $52,800 |
| #3 Massachusetts Maritime Academy | $47,600 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 American University | $34,600 |
| #2 Chapman University | $32,000 |
| #3 The Art Institutes | $31,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Pennsylvania | $107,700 |
| #2 Carnegie Mellon University | $91,500 |
| #3 Georgetown University | $81,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $41,000 |
| #2 Cornell University | $38,000 |
| #3 University of Maryland - College Park | $35,100 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Wisconsin - Madison | $52,100 |
| #2 California State University-Sacramento | $45,700 |
| #3 The University of Texas at Austin | $44,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Rochester Institute of Technology | $51,100 |
| #2 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $50,100 |
| #3 Brigham Young University | $45,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Baptist Health System School of Health Professions | $72,800 |
| #2 University of St. Francis | $60,500 |
| #3 University of Connecticut | $59,900 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Duke University | $51,400 |
| #2 University of Pennsylvania | $50,900 |
| #3 Harvard University | $48,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Cornell University | $57,900 |
| #2 New York University | $50,300 |
| #3 The George Washington University | $49,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Benedictine University | $62,000 |
| #2 Michigan State University | $59,700 |
| #3 Bethel University - MN | $59,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Rochester Institute of Technology | $83,600 |
| #2 Capella University | $77,500 |
| #3 Drexel University | $64,500 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Northwestern University | $76,400 |
| #2 University of Southern California | $73,600 |
| #3 Georgia Institute of Technology | $73,500 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Washington and Lee University | $43,400 |
| #2 Northwestern University | $42,000 |
| #3 The George Washington University | $42,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Bentley University | $57,400 |
| #2 Brigham Young University | $51,800 |
| #3 Excelsior College | $46,200 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Pennsylvania | $64,400 |
| #2 Brigham Young University | $59,200 |
| #3 Boston College | $57,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $120,300 |
| #2 Johns Hopkins University | $78,600 |
| #3 Cornell University | $76,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 SUNY Maritime College | $82,800 |
| #2 Stanford University | $78,200 |
| #3 California State University Maritime Academy | $77,600 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Houston | $49,200 |
| #2 The University of Texas at San Antonio | $42,300 |
| #3 Texas Tech University | $41,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Harvard University | $45,100 |
| #2 Dartmouth College | $42,200 |
| #3 Columbia University in the City of New York | $40,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Sonoma State University | $110,300 |
| #2 California State University-East Bay | $109,500 |
| #3 California State University-Sacramento | $106,600 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Pennsylvania | $63,600 |
| #2 University of Southern California | $44,900 |
| #3 University of Chicago | $39,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $73,900 |
| #2 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $65,300 |
| #3 University of Arizona | $63,100 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Dartmouth College | $59,900 |
| #2 Colgate University | $53,200 |
| #3 Harvard University | $51,800 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Tufts University | $44,600 |
| #2 Barnard College | $44,000 |
| #3 Cornell University | $43,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Barry University | $58,000 |
| #2 University of La Verne | $55,500 |
| #3 University of Phoenix | $52,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Illinois State University | $50,300 |
| #2 Oakland University | $47,000 |
| #3 Johns Hopkins University | $44,200 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Syracuse University | $44,600 |
| #2 Gonzaga University | $44,400 |
| #3 University of Southern California | $43,800 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Nevada - Reno | $41,700 |
| #2 Minot State University | $41,200 |
| #3 St. Catherine University | $40,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Harvard University | $53,800 |
| #2 Columbia University in the City of New York | $43,800 |
| #3 Barnard College | $43,800 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Kean University | $48,800 |
| #2 Towson University | $45,900 |
| #3 University of Hawaii at Manoa | $44,900 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Harvard University | $126,100 |
| #2 Carnegie Mellon University | $79,700 |
| #3 University of Chicago | $72,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Carnegie Mellon University | $44,000 |
| #2 Arizona State University | $40,600 |
| #3 Michigan State University | $38,000 |
Associate Degrees
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Southern New Hampshire University Online | $39,000 |
| #2 American Public University System | $37,600 |
| #3 North Hennepin Community College | $37,500 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Sheridan College | $54,000 |
| #2 Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology | $48,900 |
| #3 North Dakota State College of Science | $45,600 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 New England College of Business and Finance | $60,300 |
| #2 McHenry County College | $46,000 |
| #3 Excelsior College | $45,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Santa Rosa Junior College | $67,300 |
| #2 Herzing University | $48,000 |
| #3 Oakland Community College | $43,800 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 University of Hawaii Maui College | $37,600 |
| #2 Johnson County Community College | $34,400 |
| #3 The Art Institutes | $32,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Shoreline Community College | $76,600 |
| #2 Santa Rosa Junior College | $72,400 |
| #3 Northern Virginia Community College | $69,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 The New School | $40,400 |
| #2 Arapahoe Community College | $32,500 |
| #3 Wake Technical Community College | $31,900 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Anne Arundel Community College | $47,700 |
| #2 Hennepin Technical College | $47,000 |
| #3 Collin College | $45,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 GateWay Community College - AZ | $48,200 |
| #2 American Public University System | $45,400 |
| #3 Palomar College | $44,300 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Yuba College | $97,900 |
| #2 American River College | $91,500 |
| #3 Santa Rosa Junior College | $89,700 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Middlesex Community College - MA | $29,500 |
| #2 Lone Star College System | $26,700 |
| #3 Community College of Rhode Island | $26,500 |
Certificate Programs
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Institute for Business and Technology | $51,400 |
| #2 Perry Technical Institute | $49,600 |
| #3 Hennepin Technical College | $48,400 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Bay Area Medical Academy | $37,900 |
| #1 Platt College - California | $37,900 |
| #3 Bunker Hill Community College | $35,000 |
| College | Salary |
|---|---|
| #1 Mount Wachusett Community College | $56,400 |
| #2 Pima Community College | $52,100 |
| #3 Greater Lowell Technical School | $51,700 |
Best Bachelor's Degrees by Major
- Accounting
- Aerospace Engineering
- Agriculture
- Anthropology
- Architecture
- Aviation
- Biology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Business
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Construction Management
- Criminal Justice
- Criminology
- Dental Hygiene
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- English
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Film Production
- Finance
- Fine Arts
- Geology
- Graphic Design
- Healthcare Administration
- History
- Hospitality Management
- Human Resources
- Industrial Engineering
- Information Technology
- Journalism
- Liberal Arts
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Music
- Neuroscience
- Nursing
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Public Health
- Public Relations
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Special Education
- Statistics
- Writing