For students, choosing where to go to college is a big decision, one that determine their future.
With several top companies laying off employees in the US, the decision on where to attend college has never been more important.
According to numbers derived from the NY Times college rankings tool, graduates from Stanford and Georgetown earn more than graduates from 88 percent of Ivy League schools. Only University of Pennsylvania alumni make more money with students earning a median income of $103,246 10 years after graduating.
Graduates from the California Institute of Technology earned the highest average income among the top US colleges and universities. Alumni earned a median income of $112,116 10 years after graduation.
Check out the highlights from the data below.
- California Institute of Technology Alumni Earn More Money ($112,116) Than Graduates From Any Other School
- Princeton Students Graduate With The Least Amount Of Debt
- Ivy League Schools Account For Just 20% of Top-10 List
- Stanford & Georgetown Graduates Earn More Than 88% Of Ivy League Schools
Top-10 Colleges For High Earners in the US
Students that want to earn the most money after graduation might want to consider enrolling in the California Institute of Technology. According to the NY Times ranking tool, Cal Tech grads earn a median income of $112,116 10 years after graduation. Not far behind, graduates from MIT make nearly as much, bringing home a healthy $111,222.
Despite falling short of the No. 1 spot, MIT students graduate with approximately 24.3 percent less debt than students that attend the California Institute of Technology. MIT students graduate with only $13,418 in debt compared to $17,747 at Cal Tech.
Princeton students graduate with the least amount of debt with the median debt coming in at an affordable $10,450.
When it comes to the West Coast, California Institute of Technology alumni make 12.3 percent more than Stanford graduates, according to data sourced by CNBC.
Check out the top 10 colleges and universities ranked by median income 10 years after graduation.
- California Institute of Technology — $112,116
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — $111,222
- Harvey Mudd College — $108,988
- Bentley University — $107,974
- University of Pennsylvania — $103,246
- Carnegie Mellon University — $99,998
- Stevens Institute of Technology — $98,159
- Stanford University — $99,798
- Georgetown University — $96,375
- Princeton University — $95,689
Princeton Students Graduate With The Least Amount Of Debt
Despite being an Ivy League school, Princeton students graduate less debt than any school on the top-10 list.
The median debt among Princeton graduates is only $10,450.
Known as the “cheapest” Ivy League school, Princeton is known to give out the most financial aid of the eight in its class.
About 83 percent of seniors graduated debt-free due to Princeton’s no-loan financial aid policies. Princeton offers an average of $60,000 to freshmen to cover tuition expenses with 62 percent of admitted students receiving the financial aid. Students from families that make under $65,000 per year often receive a full ride including tuition, fees, room and board.
Stanford is another school where students can rank among the top earners without accumulating a lot of debt. Stanford students graduate with a median debt of only $12,000, the second-best mark of any school on the list.
However, graduates from MIT enjoy the best balance between earning potential and accumulating debt.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, students have the potential to earn a median income of $111,222 10 years after graduating, the second-best mark of any school. They also accumulate a median debt of only $13,418, good for the third-lowest mark behind only Princeton and Stanford.
Here are the top-earning US colleges and universities ranked by the least debt after graduating.
- Princeton University — $10,450
- Stanford University — $12,000
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — $13,418
- Georgetown University — $16,500
- University of Pennsylvania — $16,763
- California Institute of Technology — $17,747
- Carnegie Mellon University — $22,014
- Harvey Mudd College — $22,089
- Bentley University — $25,000
- Stevens Institute of Technology — $27,000
Only Two Ivy League Schools Make The Top Earnings List
Only two Ivy League schools made the top-10 list: the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University.
While Penn graduates earned $103,246 10 years after graduation, Princeton graduates came in much lower at just $95.689.
Surprisingly, Harvard and Yale, two world-renowned US universities, did not make the list.
Despite ranking among the most elite and prestigious institutions,
Grads From Stanford & Georgetown Earn More Than 88% Of Ivy League Schools
Are Ivy League schools still better than their counterparts?
Data sourced using the New York Times rankings tool suggests otherwise. In fact, graduates from Stanford and Georgetown earn more than 88 percent of Ivy League schools. Only grads from Penn earn more money 10 years after graduation than these two schools.
Students from Stanford earn a median income of $99,798 10 years after graduation compares to $96,375 for Georgetown alumni.
There are eight schools in the Ivy League but only two, Penn (No. 5) and Princeton (No. 10), made the top-10 list.
The University of Pennsylvania was the top Ivy League school on the list with graduates earning a median income of $103,246.
