The Colleges That Guarantee the Highest Salaries

10. Lehigh University
> Mid-career median salary: $112,00 (tied with Colgate)
> Starting median salary: $57,200
> Location: Bethlehem, PA

One of the four colleges at Lehigh University is the well-respected P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. According to PayScale, eight of the top 10 most lucrative college degrees are engineering degrees. Lehigh is one of the schools that produced the the most CEOs. More important for engineers, a Lehigh graduate also invented the escalator.

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9. Colgate University
> Mid-career median salary: $112,000 (tied with Lehigh)
> Starting median salary: $48,700
> Location: Hamilton, NY

Colgate is tied with Lehigh for having graduates with the ninth largest mid-career salary among all schools — ranking second among all liberal arts colleges. The college produces many lawyers, which are, on average, the school’s highest-paid alumni group. “Salary, of course, is just one indicator of how successful our graduates are,” Colgate President Jeffrey Herbst is quoted as saying on the school’s website. “But this kind of survey does attest to the value of the liberal arts education we offer and the career preparation we provide our students, which is particularly valuable in this economic climate.”

8. Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly)
> Mid-career median salary: $113,000
> Starting median salary: $61,000
> Location: Brooklyn, NY

The Polytechnic Institute of New York University is NYU’s technology and engineering college. It is the eighth-highest ranked school for salary among all colleges and the fourth-highest ranked among engineering schools. The school’s graduates also have an exceptionally high starting median salary, as do many of the engineering schools. According to Barbara Hall, associate provost for enrollment services and interim director of student affairs at NYU-Poly, “The field [of engineering] has historically held a place among top salary lists even during times of economic strain. It should continue to do so.”

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7. Duke University
> Mid-career median salary: $113,000
> Starting median salary: $54,400
> Location: Durham, NC

Duke University produces high-earning alumni who work in a number of fields. No doubt because of its Duke University Medical Center, many work in the medical field. Other graduates go into business in high numbers. According to PayScale, many of the country’s CEOs attended Duke. The school has successful alumni such as Richard Nixon, Apple CEO Tim Cook, former Senator Elizabeth Dole, as well as a number of Nobel Prize winners.

6. Dartmouth College
> Mid-career median salary: $114,000
> Starting median salary: $51,600
> Location: Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College is another school listed as one that produced many CEOs. The school’s alumni include John Danahoe, CEO of eBay, Grant Tinker, former CEO of NBC, and Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE and recently appointed Chairperson of the Federal Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Recent Dartmouth graduates have a starting median salary that is actually lower than many schools that have lower mid-career median salaries. This may have something to do with the fact that a large percentage of Dartmouth grads begin their careers at nonprofits.