Selectivity and Earnings.
Do more selective schools produce higher earners? Two lenses on prestige: average SAT score and acceptance rate.
Admissions data are institution-wide: SAT scores and acceptance rates describe the school's first-time undergraduate admissions, not a specific program. SAT figures come from enrollees who submitted scores, which at test-optional schools may skew high.
Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.
SAT Average vs. Median Earnings
Each dot is one institution whose predominant award is the bachelor's. Earnings are the institution-wide median for all completers 5 years after completing, across every field and credential level.
Acceptance Rate vs. Median Earnings
Each dot is one institution whose predominant award is the bachelor's. Earnings are the institution-wide median for all completers 5 years after completing, across every field and credential level.
Schools 1,749
Institution | State | School Earnings | SAT Avg | SAT 25th–75th | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge | MA | $159,005 4yr Post-Grad | 1560 | 1520–1580 | 5% |
| Samuel Merritt University Oakland | CA | $147,769 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| Harvey Mudd College Claremont | CA | $146,840 4yr Post-Grad | 1545 | 1500–1570 | 13% |
| Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham | MA | $135,461 4yr Post-Grad | 1520 | 1493–1558 | 25% |
| Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh | PA | $132,363 4yr Post-Grad | 1546 | 1500–1570 | 12% |
| California Institute of Technology Pasadena | CA | $131,965 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | 3% |
| Babson College Wellesley | MA | $121,874 4yr Post-Grad | 1457 | 1390–1530 | 17% |
| Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing New York | NY | $120,650 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia | PA | $120,094 4yr Post-Grad | 1553 | 1510–1570 | 5% |
| Yale University New Haven | CT | $119,177 4yr Post-Grad | 1534 | 1470–1570 | 4% |
| University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis Saint Louis | MO | $118,682 4yr Post-Grad | 1131 | 1055–1240 | 90% |
| American University of Health Sciences Signal Hill | CA | $117,839 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | 50% |
| Stanford University Stanford | CA | $114,967 4yr Post-Grad | 1553 | 1510–1580 | 4% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken | NJ | $114,905 4yr Post-Grad | 1446 | 1380–1505 | 48% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta | GA | $114,153 4yr Post-Grad | 1480 | 1370–1540 | 14% |
| Bentley University Waltham | MA | $113,660 4yr Post-Grad | 1352 | 1280–1430 | 45% |
| Santa Clara University Santa Clara | CA | $112,601 4yr Post-Grad | 1426 | 1350–1490 | 48% |
| West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County Anaheim | CA | $112,241 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Open admission |
| West Coast University-Los Angeles North Hollywood | CA | $112,241 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| West Coast University-Miami Doral | FL | $112,241 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Open admission |
| West Coast University-Ontario Ontario | CA | $112,241 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Open admission |
| West Coast University-Texas Richardson | TX | $112,241 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Open admission |
| Lehigh University Bethlehem | PA | $112,054 4yr Post-Grad | 1440 | 1370–1500 | 26% |
| Princeton University Princeton | NJ | $111,260 4yr Post-Grad | 1553 | 1510–1580 | 5% |
| Cal Poly Maritime Academy Vallejo | CA | $110,985 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | 95% |
| SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck | NY | $110,761 4yr Post-Grad | 1214 | 1123–1288 | 72% |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay | MA | $110,669 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | 95% |
| Cornell University Ithaca | NY | $109,965 4yr Post-Grad | 1535 | 1500–1570 | 9% |
| Maine Maritime Academy Castine | ME | $109,528 4yr Post-Grad | 1166 | 1095–1260 | 54% |
| Duke University Durham | NC | $108,545 4yr Post-Grad | 1548 | 1500–1570 | 6% |
| Gnomon North Hollywood | CA | $108,321 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | 42% |
| SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Brooklyn | NY | $107,990 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| Harvard University Cambridge | MA | $107,987 4yr Post-Grad | 1553 | 1510–1580 | 4% |
| Claremont McKenna College Claremont | CA | $107,640 4yr Post-Grad | 1527 | 1470–1560 | 10% |
| Oregon Health & Science University Portland | OR | $107,637 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| Dartmouth College Hanover | NH | $107,556 4yr Post-Grad | 1534 | 1500–1570 | 5% |
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame | IN | $106,934 4yr Post-Grad | 1520 | 1455–1560 | 11% |
| Villanova University Villanova | PA | $106,341 4yr Post-Grad | 1460 | 1395–1510 | 27% |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester | MA | $106,002 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | 60% |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point | NY | $105,826 4yr Post-Grad | 1207 | 1110–1300 | 34% |
| Boston College Chestnut Hill | MA | $105,665 4yr Post-Grad | 1507 | 1440–1540 | 16% |
| Jewish Theological Seminary of America New York | NY | $104,501 4yr Post-Grad | 1500 | 1440–1580 | 49% |
| Colorado School of Mines Golden | CO | $103,967 4yr Post-Grad | 1412 | 1320–1480 | 61% |
| Georgetown University Washington | DC | $103,609 4yr Post-Grad | 1487 | 1390–1550 | 13% |
| Roseman University of Health Sciences Henderson | NV | $103,339 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| Northeastern University Boston | MA | $102,947 4yr Post-Grad | 1497 | 1440–1540 | 5% |
| Northeastern University Oakland Oakland | CA | $102,947 4yr Post-Grad | 1472 | 1420–1520 | 17% |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston | MA | $102,947 4yr Post-Grad | — | — | Not reported |
| Bucknell University Lewisburg | PA | $102,624 4yr Post-Grad | 1410 | 1310–1470 | 29% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York New York | NY | $102,614 4yr Post-Grad | 1553 | 1510–1580 | 4% |
Earnings are green at or above this view's median ($61,632), red below. SAT 25th–75th adds the reading and math percentiles, so it approximates the composite range. Blank values sort last in either direction.