Education, General: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Education, General graduates earn a median $49,808 four years after finishing — $1,448/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 46.7 years. Federal data pools 318 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 6,130 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellevue University | NE | $93,688 |
| 2 | Seattle Pacific University | WA | $70,584 |
| 3 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | MN | $66,093 |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | $65,864 |
| 5 | Denison University | OH | $65,429 |
| 6 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | $65,217 |
| 7 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | WA | $65,217 |
| 8 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | WA | $65,217 |
| 9 | Chapman University | CA | $64,917 |
| 10 | Monmouth University | NJ | $63,068 |
| 11 | Syracuse University | NY | $62,372 |
| 12 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | $59,775 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.