Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Hospitality Administration/Management

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 135

Avg grad salary: $43,419

Total graduates: 10,999

Top Colleges for Hospitality Administration/Management — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	$81,947	$77,803	159	$13,987	8.2%
2	George Washington University Washington, DC	$76,383	$53,625	20	$22,500	43.5%
3	University of Delaware Newark, DE	$61,655	$37,563	98	$22,850	65.1%
4	Campbell University Buies Creek, NC	$60,996	$44,464	27	$19,750	94.3%
5	Boston University Boston, MA	$59,608	$44,657	53	$26,000	10.8%
6	California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA	$57,752	$34,015	28	$19,470	96.8%
7	NYU New York, NY	$57,687	$40,637	30	$19,000	9.4%
8	Michigan State East Lansing, MI	$55,987	$41,069	213	$22,625	83.9%
9	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA	$55,800	$46,915	138	$22,250	76.3%
10	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX	$55,633	$41,506	88	$22,500	70.9%
11	University of Mississippi University, MS	$55,345	$34,282	27	$25,000	97.8%
12	Washington State University Pullman, WA	$53,926	$41,251	76	$25,000	85.4%
13	Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA	$52,382	$45,771	44	$25,680	57.0%
14	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	$52,067	$29,405	25	$22,500	81.3%
15	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Madison, NJ	$52,002	$38,330	23	$25,000	95.3%
16	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ	$52,002	$38,330	23	$25,000	95.9%
17	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	$51,921	$34,153	97	$14,400	96.2%
18	DePaul University Chicago, IL	$50,615	$34,722	25	$16,375	73.5%
19	Widener University Chester, PA	$50,579	$37,861	27	$23,250	84.0%
20	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA	$50,238	$39,266	135	$24,385	57.8%
21	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	$50,174	$42,070	36	$23,250	N/A
22	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	$49,666	$35,339	124	$26,417	82.9%
23	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH	$49,622	$36,590	38	$27,000	86.9%
24	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL	$49,458	$37,330	216	$18,864	25.4%
25	George Mason University Fairfax, VA	$49,065	$45,151	44	$24,722	88.8%
26	American Public University System Charles Town, WV	$49,055	$37,174	43	$37,978	N/A
27	Purdue University West Lafayette, IN	$48,973	$41,099	96	$19,432	50.3%
28	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH	$48,795	$37,829	31	$25,000	96.1%
29	Endicott College Beverly, MA	$48,625	$34,562	41	$23,250	72.3%
30	California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA	$48,580	$25,340	44	$15,000	93.2%
31	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	$48,310	$36,439	35	$22,500	46.0%
32	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA	$48,277	$30,307	98	$27,000	91.2%
33	Auburn University Auburn, AL	$48,022	$40,664	28	$24,500	50.5%
34	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE	$47,880	$39,689	70	$22,250	77.1%
35	Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL	$47,847	$28,130	20	$23,923	72.1%
36	University of Denver Denver, CO	N/A	$47,679	24	$21,923	71.2%
37	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	$47,629	$33,869	78	$15,891	90.2%
38	Iowa State University Ames, IA	$47,358	$36,743	161	$20,998	89.1%
39	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	$47,312	$41,688	58	$20,500	89.6%
40	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA	$47,051	$32,939	62	$20,750	62.3%
41	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY	$46,456	$29,391	21	$23,750	79.7%
42	Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC	$46,200	$34,300	54	$25,000	80.2%
43	University of Houston Houston, TX	$46,126	$32,639	232	$21,423	69.5%
44	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD	$46,078	$32,512	21	$27,000	98.7%
45	Ohio State University Columbus, OH	$46,064	$36,986	68	$26,000	50.8%
46	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK	$45,907	$35,878	62	$21,122	70.9%
47	College of Charleston Charleston, SC	$45,859	$39,688	66	$23,448	72.0%
48	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	$45,653	$37,187	154	$29,000	91.0%
49	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	$45,565	$37,151	186	$24,947	81.4%
50	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	$45,468	$38,351	96	$20,500	99.1%
51	FIU Miami, FL	$45,455	$33,364	421	$19,300	58.8%
52	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	$45,324	$36,690	201	$26,000	61.5%
53	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO	$45,198	$38,916	128	$23,250	77.0%
54	Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH	$45,140	$28,245	24	$25,687	80.3%
55	Appalachian State University Boone, NC	$45,073	$33,702	35	$24,323	88.6%
56	Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL	$44,941	$39,108	203	$21,000	76.8%
57	University of North Texas Denton, TX	$44,935	$41,183	142	$23,070	72.5%
58	Roosevelt University Chicago, IL	$44,879	$35,871	42	$23,916	94.3%
59	Stockton University Galloway, NJ	$44,659	$30,833	81	$20,197	88.2%
60	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT	$44,567	$33,685	32	$22,225	75.5%

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Hospitality Administration/Management Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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