The 25 private colleges where students go on to earn the most money
Sticker prices on private colleges and universities tend to be steeper than public schools.
The average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015–2016 school year was $32,405 at private colleges in the US, while public universities cost an average of $23,893 — and for state residents at public colleges, average tuition and fees added up to just $9,410, according to the College Board.
Is the prestige of attending a private school worth it in the long run? We looked at a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, which breaks down the median earnings of students from over 1,400 colleges 10 years after starting their studies, using data from the US Department of Education's College Scorecard.
Here, we've highlighted the 25 private colleges in the US where graduates go on to earn the most money, as well as how much students pay annually between tuition, required fees, room, and board.
Read on to see if your alma mater, or current school, made the list:
25. Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut
Annual cost: $58,625
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,000
24. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland
Annual cost: $63,750
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,200
23. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Annual cost: $61,775
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,400
22. Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania
Annual cost: $61,680
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,800
21. Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Annual cost: $62,794
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $70,900
20. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Annual cost: $63,495
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $72,000
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19. Columbia University
New York, New York
Annual cost: $66,383
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $72,900
18. Polytechnic Institute of New York University
Brooklyn, New York
Annual cost: $69,272
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $73,500
17. Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Annual cost: $60,323
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $73,700
16. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Annual cost: $58,761
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,000
15. Kettering University
Flint, Michigan
Annual cost: $45,940
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,900
14. Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts
Annual cost: $58,605
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,900
13. Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Annual cost: $59,870
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $75,100
12. Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Annual cost: $64,188
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,700
11. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Annual cost: $58,510
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,800
10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts
Annual cost: $61,060
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,600
9. Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
Annual cost: $59,632
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,600
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Annual cost: $63,526
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $78,200
7. Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California
Annual cost: $67,255
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $78,600
6. Stanford University
Stanford, California
Annual cost: $60,427
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $80,900
5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York
Annual cost: $63,436
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $81,700
4. Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey
Annual cost: $62,699
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $82,800
3. Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Annual cost: $63,594
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $83,300
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Annual cost: $60,659
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $87,200
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Annual cost: $60,434
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $91,600
See Also:
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