Top 10 Colleges for Earning PotentialIncreased earning potential is a common reason why students attend college. However, some students are more likely than others to earn higher wages early in their careers based not only on the degrees they choose, but also the schools they attend.

PayScale.com recently took an in-depth look at what schools best position their graduates for higher earnings. In its 2014-2015 PayScale College Salary Report, the earnings expert put a spotlight on the Top 10 colleges for earning potential while providing would-be students a good snapshot of what to expect from dozens of other schools across the country.

To create its report, PayScale.com collected data through its ongoing online compensation survey in which users provide data about their educational backgrounds, jobs, compensation, demographics and employer, among other items.

In exchange for information, the site provides users with a compensation report that compares their earnings to others. To determine earnings by school, PayScale only included schools that had a significant sampling of data.

For example, the average sample size for colleges that were included was at least 325 profiles. The survey also took a look at early career earnings, mid-career salary levels and the percentage of STEM degrees, among other factors.

Here are the Top 10 schools for earnings, according to PayScale’s survey:

  • Harvey Mudd College – Early career earnings, $75,600; mid-career salary, $133,800; percentage of STEM degrees, 86%.
  • United States Naval Academy at Annapolis – Early career earnings, $80,700; mid-career salary, $130,000; percentage of STEM degrees, 54%.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Early career earnings, $70,300; mid-career salary, $128,800; percentage of STEM degrees, 79%.
  • Colgate University – Early career earnings, $54,000; mid-career salary, $126,600; percentage of STEM degrees, 15%.
  • Stanford University – Early career earnings, $62,900; mid-career salary, $126,200; percentage of STEM degrees, 28%.
  • California Institute of Technology – Early career earnings, $74,800; mid-career salary, $126,200; percentage of STEM degrees, 93%.
  • Washington and Lee University – Early career earnings, $50,700; mid-career salary, $124,300; percentage of STEM degrees, 17%.
  • United States Military Academy at West Point – Early career earnings, $75,100; mid-career salary, $123,900; percentage of STEM degrees, 39%.
  • Tufts University – Early career earnings, $51,900; mid-career salary, $123,600; percentage of STEM degrees, 23%.
  • SUNY – Maritime College – Early career earnings, $62,100; mid-career salary, $121,700; percentage of STEM degrees, 46%.

PayScale’s annual report is created to help prospective college students gain information about their potential financial futures before they make decisions on what schools to attend, Lydia Frank, the website’s editorial director, said in a media release announcing this year’s survey.

“If students understand a bit about their future earning potential before making choices about where to attend, what to major in and how much to borrow, they’ll be in a much better position financially once they graduate and enter the workforce,” Frank said.

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