Attending These 10 Colleges Can Boost Your Salary Significantly (by as Much as $94K)
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Higher education is often associated with higher earnings. For instance, in 2021, the median earnings of workers with a master’s or higher degree were $74,600, or 21% higher than the earnings of those with a bachelor’s degree — $61,600.
And the median earnings of those with a bachelor’s degree were 55% higher than the earnings of those who completed high school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
However, degrees from certain universities can increase salaries by much more — as much as $94,000. A new Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Salary Impact ranking listed schools in order of their impact on graduates’ salaries and how this relates to the cost of attending the college.
Here are the top 10:
1. University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pa.
- Average net price: $14,851
- Time to pay off net price: 8 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $84,761
2. Princeton University — Princeton, N.J.
- Average net price: $11,080
- Time to pay off net price: 6 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $82,433
3. Columbia University — New York, N.Y.
- Average net price: $12,836
- Time to pay off net price: 8 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $71,540
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, Mass.
- Average net price: $5,084
- Time to pay off net price: 2 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $94,213
5. Harvard University — Cambridge, Mass.
- Average net price: $13,259
- Time to pay off net price: 9 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $65,114
6. Stanford University — Stanford, Calif.
- Average net price: $7,200
- Time to pay off net price: 4 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $79,187
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7. Missouri University of Science and Technology — Rolla, Mo.
- Average net price: $12,682
- Time to pay off net price: 10 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $56,672
8. Claremont McKenna College — Claremont, Calif.
- Average net price: $20,114
- Time to pay off net price: 1 year, 1 month
- Value added to graduate salary: $69,374
9. Yale University — New Haven, Conn.
- Average net price: $16,341
- Time to pay off net price: 11 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $66,961
10. Babson College — Wellesley, Mass.
- Average net price: $31,267
- Time to pay off net price: 1 year, 6 months
- Value added to graduate salary: $81,604
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