Outcomes
These colleges have the highest median earnings among students who received federal aid, 10 years after entry. 348 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts).
Across all 348 qualifying colleges the median earnings runs from $23,132 (Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo) to $143,372 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), with a median of $62,870. For comparison, the median across the 348 colleges in the full dataset that report it is $62,870.
| # | College | State | Median earnings | Net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | $143,372 | $20,111 | 96.4% | 4.5% |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | CA | $138,687 | $35,924 | 91.9% | 12.7% |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | CA | $128,566 | $16,075 | 94.4% | 2.6% |
| 4 | Stanford University | CA | $124,080 | $13,807 | 91.9% | 3.6% |
| 5 | Babson College | MA | $123,938 | $40,514 | 93.1% | 17.1% |
| 6 | Bentley University | MA | $120,959 | $37,930 | 86.8% | 45.1% |
| 7 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $114,862 | $31,944 | 94.1% | 11.7% |
| 8 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $111,371 | $28,699 | 96.5% | 5.4% |
| 9 | Princeton University | NJ | $110,066 | $6,128 | 97.6% | 4.6% |
| 10 | Santa Clara University | CA | $109,183 | $50,062 | 87.9% | 48.0% |
| 11 | Stevens Institute of Technology | NJ | $108,772 | $41,346 | 86.9% | 47.6% |
| 12 | Lehigh University | PA | $105,584 | $36,931 | 87.9% | 25.9% |
| 13 | Claremont McKenna College | CA | $104,736 | $28,849 | 91.4% | 9.6% |
| 14 | Cornell University | NY | $104,043 | $28,690 | 95.4% | 8.8% |
| 15 | Boston College | MA | $103,937 | $41,704 | 90.8% | 16.4% |
| 16 | Georgetown University | DC | $103,494 | $40,815 | 94.8% | 12.9% |
| 17 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | $102,772 | $12,116 | 94.0% | 14.1% |
| 18 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | $102,491 | $21,590 | 96.1% | 4.0% |
| 19 | Harvard University | MA | $101,817 | $19,066 | 97.6% | 3.6% |
| 20 | Yale University | CT | $100,533 | $23,777 | 95.7% | 3.9% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 348 qualifying colleges, 168 are public and 180 are private nonprofit. Within the table, Massachusetts appears 5 times, California appears 5 times, Pennsylvania appears 3 times. The median net price among the 20 listed colleges that report it is $28,774, against $19,857 for the whole dataset. The median graduation rate among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 94.0%, against 73.1% for the whole dataset. 19 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1520.
Earnings are the median for students who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled ten years after they first enrolled. The figure is inflation-adjusted by the Scorecard.
Each column in the table means the following.
High earnings reflect the majors students choose, the region where they work, and who enrolls. A college does not guarantee a salary, and the cohort in the data enrolled years before today's students.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1520 SAT or a 34 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is first on this list, with median earnings of $143,372. It leads 348 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
348 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: AcadYr 2021-22; Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable; Fall 2022; Treasury AY2009-10/AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020-21, inflation adjusted. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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