
College hunting is hard. That’s why you end up with a laundry list of questions to help you narrow down the selection of schools.
What’s the cost of tuition? Are class sizes in the thousands or can everyone fit in a 30-seat room? Is it a walkable campus, or do you need a car to get around?
While these are all valuable bits of information, one of the most important questions you can ask any college is whether their students have a strong success rate after graduation. The types of jobs and salary levels they attain are a reflection of the school’s ability to prepare students for the workforce.
This may not be an easy topic to raise on a campus tour, so make sure you do your research before visiting.
PayScale recently released its 2020-2021 College Salary Report, revealing which U.S. colleges and universities have the highest-paid graduates. The rankings are based on salary data from 3.5 million alumni.
Following are the top four-year schools on this year’s PayScale list, as ranked based on graduates’ median mid-career salaries.
25. Claremont McKenna College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $70,700
- Mid-career: $138,500
24. University of California-Berkeley

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $72,600
- Mid-career: $138,800
23. Lehigh University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $70,300
- Mid-career: $139,800
22. U.S. Air Force Academy

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $77,600
- Mid-career: $140,400
21. Washington and Lee University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $66,500
- Mid-career: $140,600
20. Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $77,700
- Mid-career: $140,800
19. Swarthmore College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $67,700
- Mid-career: $141,000
18. Yale University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $72,700
- Mid-career: $141,300
17. Dartmouth College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $73,300
- Mid-career: $141,400
16. Williams College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $67,600
- Mid-career: $142,300
15. Colorado School of Mines

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
Early career: $75,800
Mid-career: $142,800
14. University of Pennsylvania

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $73,700
- Mid-career: $142,900
13. SUNY Maritime College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $74,500
- Mid-career: $143,400
12. Stevens Institute of Technology

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $75,800
- Mid-career: $144,300
11. Colgate University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $69,700
- Mid-career: $144,800
10. Babson College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $73,000
- Mid-career: $146,200
8. Santa Clara University (tie)

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $71,100
- Mid-career: $146,300
8. U.S. Military Academy (tie)

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $81,100
- Mid-career: $146,300
7. Stanford University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $81,800
- Mid-career: $147,100
6. Harvard University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $76,400
- Mid-career: $147,700
5. California Institute of Technology

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $87,600
- Mid-career: $150,300
4. Princeton University

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $77,300
- Mid-career: $150,500
3. U.S. Naval Academy

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $79,600
- Mid-career: $152,600
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $88,300
- Mid-career: $158,100
1. Harvey Mudd College

Median salaries for alumni with a bachelor’s degree from this school:
- Early career: $91,400
- Mid-career: $162,500
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