Highest graduate earnings – public universities

These 50 public universities rank highest by median earnings 10 years after entry, drawn from 1,344 institutions with reported data in the U.S. Department of Education data for 2020-21 (Scorecard). Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (Atlanta, GA) leads at $102,772.

Institutions ranked by Median earnings (10 yr).
#	Institution	Median earnings (10 yr)
1	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA	$102,772
2	Colorado School of MinesCO	$97,335
3	SUNY Maritime CollegeNY	$95,951
4	University of California-BerkeleyCA	$92,446
5	Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterTX	$92,348
6	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA	$90,768
7	University of Virginia-Main CampusVA	$86,863
8	University of California-San DiegoCA	$84,943
9	New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNJ	$84,276
10	University of Michigan-Ann ArborMI	$83,648
11	Missouri University of Science and TechnologyMO	$82,957
12	University of Maryland-College ParkMD	$82,860
13	University of California-Los AngelesCA	$82,511
14	Massachusetts Maritime AcademyMA	$82,392
15	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA	$81,698
16	University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL	$81,054
17	University of California-DavisCA	$80,838
18	University of California-IrvineCA	$80,735
19	Binghamton UniversityNY	$80,596
20	San Jose State UniversityCA	$78,988
21	University of Washington-Bothell CampusWA	$78,466
22	University of Washington-Seattle CampusWA	$78,466
23	University of Washington-Tacoma CampusWA	$78,466
24	Michigan Technological UniversityMI	$78,198
25	Virginia Military InstituteVA	$77,369
26	Colorado State University GlobalCO	$76,813
27	George Mason UniversityVA	$76,343
28	CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNY	$75,971
29	The University of Texas at AustinTX	$75,121
30	University of California-Santa BarbaraCA	$74,915
31	Stony Brook UniversityNY	$74,502
32	Rutgers University-CamdenNJ	$74,479
33	Rutgers University-New BrunswickNJ	$74,479
34	Rutgers University-NewarkNJ	$74,479
35	University of ConnecticutCT	$73,997
36	University of Connecticut-Hartford CampusCT	$73,997
37	University of Connecticut-StamfordCT	$73,997
38	University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesAR	$73,827
39	University of Wisconsin-MadisonWI	$73,792
40	William & MaryVA	$73,490
41	The College of New JerseyNJ	$73,323
42	University of DelawareDE	$72,950
43	Purdue University-Main CampusIN	$72,424
44	Oregon Institute of TechnologyOR	$72,273
45	South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologySD	$72,257
46	University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC	$72,200
47	Texas A&M University-College StationTX	$72,097
48	Citadel Military College of South CarolinaSC	$72,085
49	California State Polytechnic University-PomonaCA	$71,902
50	University of Massachusetts-AmherstMA	$71,631

A data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement or quality rating. Ranked solely on the metric named above using U.S. Department of Education data for 2020-21 (Scorecard); federal collections lag the current academic year, and some measures are no longer published at all, so the most recent figure is not always a recent one. Institutions that do not report this metric are excluded. Figures and peer context appear on each institution’s profile.

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Frequently asked

Which of these public universities ranks highest by median earnings 10 years after entry?

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (Atlanta, GA), at $102,772. It leads 50 institutions shown here, drawn from 1,344 with reported data.

How is this ranking calculated?

On one disclosed metric only: by median earnings 10 years after entry, from College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2020-21 (Scorecard). Institutions that do not report the metric are excluded. It is a data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement, quality rating or reputation survey, and no part of it is estimated or AI-generated.

How current is the data?

This list is built from the College Scorecard release of June 10, 2026 and the newest IPEDS collection on disk, using the most recent figure each of them publishes for the metric it ranks: College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2020-21 (Scorecard). Federal collections lag the current academic year by two to three years, so the newest published figure is not always a recent one; the release the leaderboard is dated on is printed under it.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (each measure carries its own collection year; see the methodology), with NSF NCSES (HERD), the Clery Act & EADA collections, Census ACS, BLS Employment Projections, WICHE & the FSA Direct Loan Dashboard. Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational benchmarking only, not financial, investment, or accreditation advice. See the methodology.