With 44.5 million student loans in the U.S., it's becoming ever more important for students to get the highest return possible on their higher education "investment."
In a new ranking, WalletHub grades U.S. colleges and universities on a number of factors, including how successful they are at putting graduating students on the road to a career that will enable them to pay off their debts and be financially successful.
In 2017-18, a public four-year college costs $25,290 a year for in-state residents, while a private four-year college cost double that at $50,900, according to lendedu.com.
The "career outcomes" section of the WalletHub ranking looks at the ratio of starting salaries among graduates compared to the cost of education. The ranking also considers each school's graduates in terms of their student loan default rates, their success at reducing debt and how many of them are outearning people with only a high school diploma. WalletHub also compared colleges on how much their graduates were earning 10 years after graduation.
These are the colleges, in ascending order, that topped the WalletHub career outcomes ranking:
10. Harvey Mudd College
The Claremont, Calif., liberal arts college has one of the highest graduation rates in the ranking at 90 percent. Graduates have the second-highest return on their educational investment with a reported average early career salary of $85,600, according to payscale.com.
9. Carnegie Mellon University
The Pittsburgh-based university has a graduation rate of 88 percent. Undergrad tuition for the 2018-19 year was listed as $54,244 a year. The average salary of a Carnegie Mellon graduate is $94,000.
8. Bentley University
Located nine miles from Boston, Bentley is a business school whose programs focus on business professions with an emphasis on technology. The university says the median salary of a Bentley graduate is $57,000. Notable alumni include Jay Leno.
7. Harvard University
Harvard had the third-highest graduation rate among colleges in the ranking. Post-graduate median salaries for Harvard ranked fourth. The university says 52 percent of seniors will earn in excess of $70,000 annually.
6. Georgetown University
The school had the third-highest median post-attendance salary in career outcomes. The post-graduate median starting salary is $55,000; the median mid-career salary is $110,000. Notable alumni include Ivanka Trump and Patrick Ewing.
5. Stevens Institute of Technology
The report gave Stevens, based in Hoboken, N.J., high ratings for highest post-attendance salary and highest rate of return on educational investment. The school's 2017 graduates reported an average starting salary of $67,600.
4. John Paul the Great Catholic University
Graduates of the private catholic university in Escondido, Calif., attain a median starting salary of $43,000. Yearly tuition will run about $24,000 a year. The university is known for its cinematography and film production programs.
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
The school ranked fourth in highest return on educational investment. Median salaries reported by the school for 2017 were $70,000 for bachelor's degree graduates and $90,000 for master's degree graduates. Former president Jimmy Carter is among the school's alumni.
2. California Institute of Technology
Ranked third for highest return on educational investment, the school reported an average annual starting salary for its $105,500 for its graduates. An undergraduate degree will cost $49,908 for tuition and fees.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT, which ranked first in career outcomes, has graduates who garner the highest median salary after graduation. MIT also ranked as one of the best educational investments. For the 2017-18, tuition totaled $49,892 a year. Bachelor's degree graduates have reported a median salary of $85,000 a year. Notable alumni include Buzz Aldrin, Kofi Annan and David Koch.
The full report can be viewed here.
