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Which College Grads Earn the Most? A new study ranks the earning potential of graduates from the top colleges in the U.S.
by Prashant Gopal
It makes sense that graduating from a prestigious school with a strong network of well-positioned alumni can lay the foundation for a high- paying job. But how much does your potential to earn big bucks as a midcareer professional have to do with the name brand of that bachelor's degree hanging on your wall? A new report from PayScale.com points to a pretty significant link.
BusinessWeek.com used data from the PayScale report to compare top earning alumni across the nation and found that—even 10 or more years into their careers—graduates of prestigious institutions, especially Ivy League universities, earned the biggest salaries. (The study reflects only undergraduate schools and does not include graduate degrees.)
Yale University topped the list, which ranked in the 90th percentile of midcareer salaries of alumni from each institution (Employees in this range include CEOs, CFOs, other C-level executives, stock traders, and hedge fund managers). Top earners with Yale degrees typically earned $326,000 a year compared with the best-paid graduates of, say, Kent State University, a respectable public university in Ohio, who earned $124,000, on average.
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