The Schools Where Graduates Out-Earn Harvard -- Without the Harvard Price Tag
Harvard Earns $101,817 at 10 Years. These Schools Earn More.
Harvard graduates earn a median of $101,817 ten years after enrollment -- one of the highest figures in the country, and a number that justifies the school's reputation as a gateway to high earnings.
It is not the highest.
CollegeBound analyzed median 10-year earnings across thousands of institutions using federal College Scorecard data. We filtered for schools with enrollment above 500 and reliable earnings data, then identified every school where median graduate earnings exceed Harvard's benchmark. The result is a list of 22 schools -- and several of them will surprise you.
The Full List: Schools That Out-Earn Harvard
| School | State | Median 10yr Earnings | Admission Rate | OOS Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIT | MA | $143,372 | 5% | $60,156 |
| Harvey Mudd College | CA | $138,687 | 13% | $66,255 |
| Albany College of Pharmacy | NY | $131,426 | 59% | $40,375 |
| Caltech | CA | $128,566 | 3% | $63,255 |
| MCPHS University | MA | $125,557 | 85% | $38,850 |
| Stanford | CA | $124,080 | 4% | $62,484 |
| Babson College | MA | $123,938 | 20% | $56,032 |
| Bentley University | MA | $120,959 | 48% | $58,150 |
| Carnegie Mellon | PA | $114,862 | 11% | $63,829 |
| University of Pennsylvania | PA | $111,371 | 6% | $66,104 |
| Helene Fuld College of Nursing | NY | $111,027 | 24% | $24,648 |
| Princeton | NJ | $110,066 | 4% | $59,710 |
| Santa Clara University | CA | $109,183 | 44% | $59,241 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | NJ | $108,772 | 43% | $60,952 |
| Lehigh University | PA | $105,584 | 29% | $62,180 |
| Claremont McKenna College | CA | $104,736 | 11% | $64,150 |
| Cornell University | NY | $104,043 | 8% | $66,014 |
| Boston College | MA | $103,937 | 16% | $67,680 |
| Georgetown University | DC | $103,494 | 13% | $65,081 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | MA | $103,470 | 58% | $59,070 |
| Georgia Tech | GA | $102,772 | 16% | $32,876 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | NY | $102,051 | 58% | $61,884 |
The Unexpected Schools on This List
Most of this list is predictable: MIT, Caltech, Wharton, Stanford. But several entries require explanation.
MCPHS University (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) admits 85% of applicants. It charges $38,850 in out-of-state tuition. Its graduates earn a median of $125,557 ten years out -- more than Stanford, more than Carnegie Mellon, and $23,740 more per year than Harvard. The reason: MCPHS specializes almost entirely in pharmacy, nursing, and health sciences programs. Its graduates become pharmacists and advanced practice nurses in Massachusetts, where healthcare salaries are among the highest in the country.
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences does the same thing: 59% admit rate, $40,375 tuition, $131,426 in median 10-year earnings. More than MIT's $143,372? No. But more than Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Duke, and nearly every other school on the country's prestige shortlist? Yes.
Babson College admits 20% of applicants -- selective, but far below the Ivy threshold. It produces graduates earning $123,938 at 10 years. Babson's entire curriculum is built around entrepreneurship and business, and its graduates go into finance, consulting, and company-founding at high rates.
Bentley University is even more striking: 48% admit rate, $120,959 median earnings. Bentley is a business-focused school in Waltham, Massachusetts, ranked #84 by CollegeBound. Its graduates out-earn Yale, Harvard, Duke, and Columbia graduates by measurable margins.
WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) admits 58% of applicants and produces graduates earning $103,470. The school's project-based engineering curriculum and strong employer relationships in defense, tech, and manufacturing drive outcomes well above what its selectivity would predict.
The Most Undervalued School in America (by the Earnings Metric)
Georgia Institute of Technology deserves particular attention. Georgia Tech:
- Admits 16% of applicants (selective, but not Ivy-level) - Charges $32,876 in out-of-state tuition -- roughly half what most schools on this list charge - Produces graduates earning $102,772 at 10 years - Has a 92% six-year graduation rate - Ranks #17 on CollegeBound's value-weighted rankings
No other school on the out-earn-Harvard list comes close to Georgia Tech's combination of earnings output and cost control. A four-year out-of-state degree from Georgia Tech costs approximately $131,504 in tuition. The same earnings outcome at, say, Brown University costs over $272,000 in tuition -- and Brown's median 10-year earnings ($93,487) are lower.
High Earnings at Accessible Schools: The Underrated Tier
Below the out-earn-Harvard threshold, several accessible schools approach or exceed $95,000 in 10-year median earnings while admitting a majority of applicants:
| School | Admission Rate | 10yr Earnings | OOS Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado School of Mines | 60% | $97,335 | $44,376 |
| Rose-Hulman | 73% | $101,253 | $56,674 |
| SUNY Maritime College | 79% | $95,951 | $18,450 |
| Cal Poly SLO | 30% | $90,768 | $30,995 |
| Northeastern University | 10% | $92,538 | $63,141 |
| UC Berkeley | 12% | $92,446 | $45,627 |
| Villanova University | 25% | $100,423 | $64,701 |
| Notre Dame | 12% | $99,980 | $62,693 |
SUNY Maritime College (State University of New York Maritime College) admits 79% of applicants, charges $18,450 in out-of-state tuition, and produces graduates earning $95,951 at ten years. It is one of the best ROI stories in American higher education and almost never appears in guidance counselors' lists.
What the "Prestige = Earnings" Story Gets Wrong
The standard college consulting narrative -- that prestigious schools produce higher earnings because of their rigor and network -- is partially correct but badly incomplete.
What the data actually shows:
Specialization beats brand for most careers. Pharmacy schools, maritime academies, engineering-focused colleges, and business-first schools consistently out-earn generalist institutions with far higher prestige. A pharmacist from MCPHS earns more than a history major from Princeton. A maritime engineer from SUNY Maritime earns more than a biology major from Yale. The specialization premium is real and large.
State flagship engineering programs are the best ROI in higher education. Georgia Tech, Purdue, UIUC, Cal Poly SLO, and Virginia Tech all combine high earnings, meaningful research infrastructure, and substantially lower costs than comparable private options. For in-state students, these schools offer four-year costs of $50,000-$80,000 with earnings outcomes that rival schools charging $280,000+.
The debt-earnings ratio matters more than the earnings headline. Harvard graduates carry a median $14,000 in federal debt at graduation. Bentley graduates carry $25,023. The differential is real -- Harvard's financial aid is exceptional. But for students comparing Bentley to a school with $15,000 average merit awards, the net cost picture changes substantially.
The Schools Where Earnings Are High AND Debt Is Low
Looking at schools where 10-year earnings exceed $90,000 and median debt is under $20,000:
| School | 10yr Earnings | Median Debt | Admit Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | $110,066 | $10,320 | 4% |
| Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $19,162 | 44% |
| Harvey Mudd | $138,687 | $25,000 | 13% |
| MIT | $143,372 | $14,768 | 5% |
| Babson College | $123,938 | $20,000 | 20% |
| Claremont McKenna | $104,736 | $13,500 | 11% |
| Cornell | $104,043 | $14,000 | 8% |
| Georgia Tech | $102,772 | $21,672 | 16% |
| UC Berkeley | $92,446 | $13,000 | 12% |
| Cal Poly SLO | $90,768 | $18,500 | 30% |
Santa Clara University (44% admit, $109,183 earnings, $19,162 median debt) and Cal Poly SLO (30% admit, $90,768 earnings, $18,500 median debt) represent the sweet spot where strong outcomes meet manageable costs. Neither appears in most students' first-round research.
The Question Families Should Actually Be Asking
The college search defaults to "What's the most prestigious school my student can get into?" The earnings data suggests the better question is: "What schools produce the strongest outcomes in my intended field, at a cost that keeps the debt-earnings ratio sane?"
For a student interested in engineering: Georgia Tech, Cal Poly SLO, Purdue, and SUNY Maritime all have compelling answers to that question that most name-brand alternatives cannot match on value.
For a student interested in health professions: MCPHS, Albany College of Pharmacy, and the Cal State nursing programs produce outcomes that rival any Ivy.
For a student interested in business: Babson, Bentley, and SMU all punch above their prestige tier in graduate earnings.
The schools winning the ROI game are not hiding. They just don't advertise as loudly as the schools spending $200 million on endowment-funded prestige maintenance.
Methodology
Ten-year median earnings data is from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 release), reported as median earnings 10 years after enrollment for students who received federal financial aid. Schools with enrollment below 500 were excluded. Tuition figures are out-of-state sticker prices from IPEDS for 2023-24. Debt figures are median federal loan debt at graduation from Scorecard. Admission rates are from IPEDS and CDS 2023-24. Rankings are from CollegeBound's composite ranking model (graduation rate, earnings, satisfaction, selectivity, retention, value, and faculty).
*Explore 10-year earnings, debt levels, and ROI scores for 270+ schools at CollegeBound. Filter by major, state, admission rate, and cost to find schools where the numbers actually work.*