Small STEM Colleges Top New List of Highest Early-Career Salaries, Outpacing Ivy League

A new ranking based on federal workforce data and salary site PayScale found that small, science- and engineering-focused colleges produced the highest average early-career salaries, with Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, at the top. The analysis, reported by the Daily Mail, shows graduates from narrowly specialized institutions often command higher starting pay than those from traditional prestige universities.

Harvey Mudd graduates earned an average of $115,000 in the first years after leaving campus, the highest in the analysis. Caltech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed with average early-career salaries of $111,000 and $110,200, respectively. These results underscore the premium employers place on graduates with intensive training in STEM fields.

The top 10 identified by the analysis is dominated by technical and service academies. The list and reported average early-career salaries are: Harvey Mudd College, $115,000; California Institute of Technology, $111,000; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $110,200; United States Merchant Marine Academy, $103,300; Stanford University, $102,300; Carnegie Mellon University, $100,500; Webb Institute, $97,500; United States Naval Academy, $96,700; United States Military Academy at West Point, $95,400; and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, $93,000. The institutions range from tiny specialist campuses to major research universities and federal service academies.

Several institutions on the list combine focused curricula with strong direct hiring pipelines to high-paying industries. Employers such as major technology firms, aerospace companies and government agencies regularly recruit from campuses with concentrated engineering, computer science and applied science programs. Webb Institute, a niche naval architecture and marine engineering school, was noted for offering full-tuition scholarships and reporting near-universal job placement for graduates.

The ranking arrives as higher education faces renewed questions about return on investment. Tuition and fees have risen well above inflation over recent decades, leading many students to take on substantial debt. The changing labor market, including the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and shifting employer demand, has intensified scrutiny of which degrees and campuses deliver the best financial outcomes.

"Younger Americans would be wise to rethink the traditional college path, where the cost has greatly outpaced the benefits of college — especially if you're not getting a higher-paying job," said Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project. Michael Itzkowitz, a former Education Department official, cautioned that salary is only one measure of value. "It's important that wherever students attend — and whatever field of study they choose to pursue — they leave knowing it was worth it," he wrote on X.

The results highlight a practical trade-off for prospective students and families weighing college choices: institutional prestige and broad liberal-arts education do not necessarily translate into higher early-career earnings. Instead, concentrated technical training, small class sizes and strong industry ties frequently correlate with higher starting salaries.

Analysts and observers say the rankings should be interpreted in context. Early-career salary averages do not capture non-monetary outcomes, mid- and long-term earnings trajectories, or the full costs of attendance and debt loads. They also do not measure the diversity of academic programs or the broader societal and personal benefits attributed to different college experiences.

Still, the analysis adds data to an intensifying national conversation about higher education strategy, career preparation and how colleges prepare graduates for a rapidly changing economy. Prospective students, policymakers and college recruiters will likely continue to monitor such measures as they make enrollment decisions and shape program offerings.