To figure out which degrees hold the most earnings potential, The Daily Beast analyzed data on starting and mid-career salaries for schools across the country, according to Payscale.com, as well as the average cost of a degree for each school. Each of the three factors was weighted equally to create the final ranking. However, only colleges with a six-year graduation rate of at least 75% were eligible to land on the list. After all, an investment in college only pays off if you get a degree, and we wanted to highlight schools where the educational investment will reliably end in graduation.
Claremont, California
6-Year Grad Rate: 84.1%
Average Net Price: $30,171
Average Starting Salary: $73,300
Average Midcareer Salary: $143,000
John Linden for Harvey Mudd College
Cambridge, Massachusetts
6-Year Grad Rate: 92.9%
Average Net Price: $20,660
Average Starting Salary: $68,600
Average Midcareer Salary: $118,000
Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor, via Getty
Pasadena, California
6-Year Grad Rate: 86.7%
Average Net Price: $25,382
Average Starting Salary: $68,400
Average Midcareer Salary: $124,000
Ted Soqui/Corbis
New York, New York
6-Year Grad Rate: 75.7%
Average Net Price: $16,794
Average Starting Salary: $61,400
Average Midcareer Salary: $116,000
Mario Tama/Getty
Stanford, California
6-Year Grad Rate: 96.1%
Average Net Price: $21,421
Average Starting Salary: $61,300
Average Midcareer Salary: $119,000
Paul Sakuma/AP
Princeton, New Jersey
6-Year Grad Rate: 95.5%
Average Net Price: $18,813
Average Starting Salary: $56,100
Average Midcareer Salary: $12,1000
Mel Evans/AP
Cambridge, Massachusetts
6-Year Grad Rate: 97.4%
Average Net Price: $18,277
Average Starting Salary: $55,300
Average Midcareer Salary: $119,000
Elise Amendola/AP
Berkeley, California
6-Year Grad Rate: 90.5%
Average Net Price: $15,589
Average Starting Salary: $54,700
Average Midcareer Salary: $111,000
Paul Sakuma/AP
Hoboken, New Jersey
6-Year Grad Rate: 79%
Average Net Price: $28,387
Average Starting Salary: $64,900
Average Midcareer Salary: $124,000
Jeffrey Vock
Hamilton, New York
6-Year Grad Rate: 91.6%
Average Net Price: $18,647
Average Starting Salary: $51,800
Average Midcareer Salary: $117,000
Andrew M. Daddio/Colgate University via AP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6-Year Grad Rate: 95.8%
Average Net Price: $20,592
Average Starting Salary: $57,200
Average Midcareer Salary: $109,000
Rusty Kennedy/AP
Houston, Texas
6-Year Grad Rate: 91.6%
Average Net Price: $19,675
Average Starting Salary: $55,700
Average Midcareer Salary: $109,000
Williamstown, Massachusetts
6-Year Grad Rate: 95.3%
Average Net Price: $16,493
Average Starting Salary: $50,400
Average Midcareer Salary: $111,000
Ian Bradshaw/Williams College
New Haven, Connecticut
6-Year Grad Rate: 96.6%
Average Net Price: $18,934
Average Starting Salary: $50,000
Average Midcareer Salary: $117,000
Jessica Hill/AP
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
6-Year Grad Rate: 86.9%
Average Net Price: $24,510
Average Starting Salary: $58,500
Average Midcareer Salary: $111,000
Aimin Tang/Getty
New York, New York
6-Year Grad Rate: 92.8%
Average Net Price: $19,073
Average Starting Salary: $57,600
Average Midcareer Salary: $99,600
Daniel Barry/Bloomberg, via Getty
Charlottesville, Virginia
6-Year Grad Rate: 93.9%
Average Net Price: $11,590
Average Starting Salary: $51,000
Average Midcareer Salary: $95,700
Providence, Rhode Island
6-Year Grad Rate: 95.2%
Average Net Price: $22,743
Average Starting Salary: $52,300
Average Midcareer Salary: $119,000
Steven Senne/AP
College Station, Texas
6-Year Grad Rate: 80.7%
Average Net Price: $11,550
Average Starting Salary: $51,900
Average Midcareer Salary: $94,300
Scott Halleran/Getty
Amherst, Massachusetts
6-Year Grad Rate: 96.3%
Average Net Price: $17,574
Average Starting Salary: $53,000
Average Midcareer Salary: $104,000
Shana Sureck
