There is a common misconception that graduates struggle to find employment after graduation and cannot recoup the hefty costs of university study. While it is true that the expenses of studying in the United States can be substantial, gaining admission to renowned Ivy League institutions is highly competitive. As a result, more students opt for public universities with lower tuition fees as their preferred choice. Contrary to popular belief, the pay of graduates from many public colleges is on par with that of Ivy League graduates. Plenty of public colleges and universities boast high earnings for graduates and, often, more accessible pathways to success. This blog will reveal top public colleges with the highest-paying graduates. Their average annual salary is around $100,000 within five years of graduation. Let’s analyze together why studying at these top public colleges and universities is a wise investment.
Top Public Colleges with Highest Paying Graduates
- Tuition and fees for out-of-state students: $48,465
- Average Annual Salary (Initial): $88,300
- Average Annual Salary (Interim): $167,000
Whether it’s application or graduation season, it’s hard to miss the UC family when it comes to top public colleges and universities. In this ultra-competitive salary data table, UCB, UCSD, UCI, UCSB, and UCLA are all among the top 100 in the super-stressful job market. You have to admit that there are many good public colleges with the highest-paying graduates in California!
Today, let’s use UCB as an example. After all, it is the top public college in the entire ranking (except for non-US commercial universities for the Army, Navy, and Air Force).
Regarding UCB’s students’ career development, I must mention its superior geographical location. Although it is a predominantly rural environment in the United States, the school is next to Silicon Valley. In other words, UCB students have the unique advantage of being recognized by hundreds of companies in Silicon Valley, whether they are current students or recent graduates, and this valuable internship experience raises the salary threshold for their career development after graduation.
As shown in the figure below, in addition to the regular job fairs and counselling services, UCB has directly set out an alumni career network, which not only includes alumni resources, successful job search cases, etc. but also has internship opportunities such as virtual internships and CEI (Confederation of Empowerment Initiatives). Post-graduation development is based on the university experience, which is also the benefit of public universities, i.e., larger schools, more networking opportunities, and more resources available to the school. Therefore, in UCB, as long as you are willing, even if you don’t get a formal internship opportunity in a large factory, you can make good use of the career centre’s resources and make sure your resume has some to talk about.
- Tuition and fees for out-of-state students: $42,120
- Average Annual Salary (Initial): $87,800
- Average Annual Salary (Interim): $165,700
Is the Colorado School of Mines worth the money? No worries. On average, 96% of graduates have positive outcomes following graduation, such as securing a job or advancing to graduate school. The average starting paying for CSM graduates is $84,400. Notably, the VIP Professional Development program is designed to improve Mines students’ professional skills. The Colorado School of Mines focuses on six competencies to differentiate our students from other universities. These competencies include communication, career self-management, professionalism, collaboration, successful thinking, and equity and inclusion. The VIP Professional Development program provides resources for students to become the professionals that every employer wants to hire!
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering. It produces the talent, knowledge, and solutions to serve industry and benefit society, all to create a more prosperous future. CSM emphasizes research rather than internships and focuses on energy and environment-related topics. CSM’s research website is much better than its official website, which is dedicated to cultivating maestros.
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students: $32,876
- Average Annual Salary (Initial): $89,700
- Average Annual Salary (Interim): $163,500
Georgia Tech is the only public polytechnic school among the three major IT schools in the United States (both Caltech and MIT are private) and is part of the University of Georgia system. GIT is located in Atlanta, Georgia, the business and cultural centre of the southeastern region of the United States, with headquarters or critical branches of multinational corporations, innovative enterprises, and various industries. Students can take full advantage of employment opportunities in the bustling city of Atlanta, finding highest paying jobs in there.
In addition, many giant companies in the fintech industry recognize GIT graduates. GIT has also taken advantage of this to set up an employer connection section directly on its career centre official website for companies to release information for school recruitment. This is convenient for students to find the latest information that matches them. Georgia Tech grads make up a chunk of Silicon Valley employees — more than any Ivy League schools. A degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology might do the trick if you want a job at one of Silicon Valley’s coveted tech companies, such as Google, Apple, Amazon or Facebook.
- Tuition and fees for out-of-state students: $36,068
- Average Annual Salary (Initial): $77,600
- Average Annual Salary (Interim): $139,900
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system and, with more than 35,000 undergraduate and 20,500 graduate students, is one of the largest public universities in the United States. Its campus library system has the fourth-largest university library in the United States and houses the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the fastest supercomputer on a university campus.
As a university with a large student body and one of the top 10 public colleges in US for international students, UIUC is dedicated to the careers of its students, trying their best to increase highest paying graduates. Everything from how to qualify for a job to resources for internships is available to students. UIUC students prepare for success in so many ways, from participating in research to working with our Career Center to land their dream internship. There are countless avenues for success at UIUC and many thriving Illini graduates to look to for inspiration! Across the 2021-2022 graduating class respondents, 52% of full-time employed respondents reported salaries averaging $74,974. In addition, 28% reported signing bonuses, with a median of $5,000. Of course, UIUC’s alumni system is also very strong, with co-founders of companies such as Tesla, YouTube, Yelp, Paypal, and many more featuring UIUC graduates.
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students (per year): $40,607
- Average Annual Salary (Initial): $72,600
- Average Annual Salary (Interim): $139,700
Texas A&M University is the only university in Texas that is independently awarded the title of “School System” that integrates sea, land and air teaching areas. It is also the top public colleges that has enrolled the largest student population in the United States since 2021. It is obvious that for A&M graduates, there are a large number of current students and future students, but this does not affect the quality of career counselling on campus. Any A&M student can make an appointment for one-on-one career advising at any time.
In order to make it simple and clear for all students to find suitable career development suggestions and resources, A&M directly classifies all job search information into current, former, and future students. Yes, don’t be surprised when you see that they also provide career counselling assistance to graduate students. A&M’s after-sales service is really good. No wonder the Texas A&M University listed in the top public colleges!
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students: $57,273
- Average annual salary (initial): $80,300
- Average annual salary (mid-term): $137,500
There is a common misconception that graduates struggle to find employment after graduation and cannot recoup the hefty costs of university study. While it is true that the expenses associated with studying in the United States can be substantial, gaining admission to renowned Ivy League institutions is highly competitive. As a result, more students opt for public universities with lower tuition fees as their preferred choice. Contrary to popular belief, the pay of graduates from many public universities is on par with that of Ivy League graduates. In this blog, we will explore the top 10 public universities with the highest paying graduates, their average annual salaries is around $100,000 within five years of graduation. Let’s delve into the details and discover why studying at these public universities is a wise investment.
The Ann Arbor campus of Michigan has the highest tuition fees among the universities mentioned in this blog and even among almost all top public colleges. Although tuition fees are expensive, the number of students at the University of Michigan has increased, with more than 50,000 students enrolled. Sufficient funds have also laid a favourable foundation for the University of Michigan to establish cooperation with external companies and research groups to obtain more valuable resources for students. In addition, the University of Michigan’s annual research expenditure ranks third among American universities, which shows that its research opportunities are numerous and valuable.
To ensure students’ career success, the University of Michigan holds nearly ten sharing sessions in different majors, fields, grades, identities, etc., almost every week. Through the success cases of the students themselves and the tips given by the career centre advisor, the University of Michigan will provide graduates with thousands of opportunities to participate, so they must be confident that they will be the highest-paying graduates of top public colleges in US.
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students: $26,863
- Average annual salary (initial): $79,100
- Average annual salary (mid-term): $137,200
As a top public college in San Jose, California. Like UCLA, it has academic roots in the historic California State Normal School. According to Payscale, graduate-paying job titles like software engineer range from $80k to $150k.
SJSU’s total enrollment was over 36K+, and the school’s student body is one of the most racially diverse in the country, with international student enrollment being the highest of any campus in the California State University system. San Jose State University is expanding its ways by providing students with high-quality education, unique research, and hands-on experiences. At the same time, San Jose is very close to San Francisco. SJSU has always been listed as one of the leading suppliers of undergraduate and graduate alumni to Silicon Valley technology companies. San Jose State University’s prime location for getting the highest paying jobs is one of the reasons for the large proportion of International students.
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students: $36,001
- Average annual salary (initial): $73,500
- Average annual salary (mid-term): $137,000
Rutgers University suddenly jumped into the top 50 universities in the United States this year, attracting a new wave of widespread attention. What is unexpected is that the paying of Rutgers University graduates. The Rutgers New Brunswick graduation time is about 4.26 years, and it will cost an estimated $38,596 per year, bringing the total cost to 164,419. Is it worth the investment?
Although New Brunswick is an area with a high crime rate and limited employment resources. The public college providing recruitment information and job search assistance to students, Rutgers University has established a CES organization very early. CES partners with external organizations to explore different career paths for Rutgers students. It provides career-related resources to help students discover themselves, explore career and academic paths, develop skills and pursue career goals. Collaborations with external organizations also allow students to articulate extracurricular experiences to make them competitive in the job market. Rutgers Handshake is the #1 platform for all things career success. Students can utilize Handshake to access thousands of job and internship listings, schedule appointments with career advisers, read employer reviews, network with recruiters, access exclusive online resources, and much more.
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students: $41,309
- Average annual salary (initial): $75,000
- Average annual salary (mid-term): $137,000
Compared with other colleges, UTA’s career center page is straightforward, but the key points are clear. In addition to many universities’ internship credit courses, UTA attaches great importance to employee participation and advocates allowing students and employers to gain professional skills through time cooperation.
UTA also provides a service similar to a job search agency: students only need to make an appointment to receive customized virtual and face-to-face planning throughout the year. This opportunity has been instrumental in preparing graduates for the professional work environment by allowing them to become confident communicators and attend events like mock interviews. According to graduates, they would not have made it this far without the help of the UTA Career Development Center. This service is entirely free and successfully prduced many highest paying graduates!
- Tuition & Fees for Out-of-State Students: $41,997
- Average annual salary (initial): $77,100
- Average annual salary (mid-term): $136,800
It can be seen from the distinctive name of the career centre that to help students achieve career success and considerable income, UW attaches great importance to internships at school. For many students studying CS and business-related majors, although UW is one Oregon state away from Silicon Valley, there are significant companies such as Amazon and Microsoft in downtown Seattle. Students have rich internship resources and opportunities to experience professional roles.
Are you curious about Seattle’s booming tech scene but don’t want to work in software engineering or data science? Tech companies require various skill sets and roles—marketing, sales, account management, human resources, operations, project management, etc. UW provides students with this unique program to learn how their skills, strengths, and interests can translate into a career in tech and explore professional development topics to prepare them for their job and internship searches. At the same time, UW also provides students with various research project opportunities. Not only are there a variety of on-campus research fields, but they are also valuable. Top public colleges still have advantages in terms of diversity resources!
Pros of Attending Top Public Colleges
1. Tuition and fees are relatively cheap and more affordable for many students. Additionally, public colleges often provide financial aid packages and scholarships, further reducing the economic burden of education.
2. Wide range of program choices, public colleges typically offer an array of academic programs and majors. You can always find a program that suits your interests and future development.
3. High-quality education, top public colleges in the US are known for their high academic standards. They often have dedicated and experienced faculty members who are experts in their study fields.
4. Valuable networking opportunities, top public colleges often have large student populations, allowing you to socialize and benefit you both during your college years and in your future career.
FAQ
- California Institute of Technology: $78,400.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $76,900.
- Stanford University: $70,300.
- Carnegie Mellon University: $69,700.
- Colorado School of Mines, $68,000.
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute: $67,300.
- Data Scientist.
- Investment Banker.
- Corporate Lawyer.
- Project Manager.
- Senior Software Engineer.
- Chief Executive Officer.
- Financial Analyst.
- Chartered Accountant.
Princeton is often acknowledged as the “most affordable Ivy” due to its commitment to extensive financial aid offerings.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Science in Nursing.
- Master of Engineering Management.
- Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering.
- Master of Science in Finance.
- Master of Arts in Political Science.
- Master of Science in Computer Science
