Colleges with the Highest Graduate Salaries in 2020 - Public Universities

While students from schools such as Stanford, Harvard, UChicago, Princeton and Dartmouth top our list of highest graduate salaries, top US public universities also give their students a high return on their investment.

Following on from our Part 1 in this two part series - which reported the Top 5 private universities recording the highest median graduate salaries for 2020, comes the below list of public universities which see the best graduation returns (as reported recently by CNBC, using data from Tuition Tracker and Payscale).

Referred to as a ‘return on investment’ or ROI, many students and parents are viewing a world class college education as exactly that - an ‘investment’ in their child’s future of top job opportunities and professional and personal fulfillment.

When looking at universities from the lens of investment, the edge many of these public universities may have on private universities is their lower cost. Indeed, paying less for a public university and getting an equally high return as high as somebody who attended a more expensive private university could be regarded as a better investment.

Here are the 5 US public universities reporting the highest returns for their students after graduation.

1. University of Washington - Bothell

Average annual net cost (family income $48,001-$75,000): USD $6,812

Median salary for alumni with 0-5 years of experience: USD $60,200

Median salary for alumni with 10+ years of experience: USD $108,000

A relatively new satellite campus of the UW system, UW Bothell has recently made huge gains to emerge as one of the top public universities in the US. They offer roughly 55 degree programs and enroll nearly 5,000 undergraduate students. It’s five schools include a school of business, educational studies, interdisciplinary arts and sciences, STEM and nursing.

The University of Washington system is one of the oldest and most well-established universities on the West Coast. It is also one of the world’s largest and most preeminent public universities. With over 180 majors to choose from, the university is best known for its computer science and engineering programs. The University of Washington system is ranked the 62nd best national university by USNews.

If you would like to understand how likely you are to get into the University of Washington based on your current scores, use our US College Admissions Calculator

2. CUNY Baruch College

Average annual net cost (family income $48,001-$75,000): USD $8,425

Median salary for alumni with 0-5 years of experience: USD $58,800

Median salary for alumni with 10+ years of experience: USD $107,100

Located in Manhattan, New York City, Baruch College is one of 11 four-year undergraduate colleges in The City University of New York (CUNY) school system. The university is known for its business programs and enrolls approximately 15,482 undergraduate students. The three schools at Baruch are the schools of business, arts & sciences, and public & international affairs. The most popular majors include accounting, finance and marketing. They are ranked the 228th best national university by USNews.

If you would like to understand how likely you are to get into CUNY Baruch College based on your current scores, use our US College Admissions Calculator

3. University of Washington - Seattle

Average annual net cost (family income $48,001-$75,000): USD $9,349

Median salary for alumni with 0-5 years of experience: USD $61,900

Median salary for alumni with 10+ years of experience: USD $112,300

Accepting approximately 7,400 undergraduate freshmen per year and a total of 31,041 undergraduates, the University of Washington - Seattle is the flagship school of the University of Washington system. The university is known for its ties to technology giants in the region, including Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Nintendo. The most popular majors studied at this campus are computer science, psychology and business

If you would like to understand how likely you are to get into the University of Washington based on your current scores, use our US College Admissions Calculator

4. Purdue University - West Lafayette

Average annual net cost (family income $48,001-$75,000): USD $9,342

Median salary for alumni with 0-5 years of experience: USD $60,900

Median salary for alumni with 10+ years of experience: USD $110,000

Purdue University’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, is the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The college enrolls 7,567 freshmen and 32,672 total undergraduate students per year. It also has the fourth largest international student population of any US university. It offers 200 majors to undergraduates and is known for its strong engineering program, with about 28% of undergraduate students in the College of Engineering. Purdue is ranked the 57th best national university by USNews.

If you would like to understand how likely you are to get into Purdue University based on your current scores, use our US College Admissions Calculator

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Average annual net cost (family income $48,001-$75,000): USD $11,035

Median salary for alumni with 0-5 years of experience: USD $63,500

Median salary for alumni with 10+ years of experience: USD $112,200

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is the flagship campus of the University of Michigan school system. The university offers 275 degree programs, enrolls 31,266 undergraduate students and is known for its business administration and computer science programs. It is also known for its athletics program and Michigan Stadium, which is the largest college football stadium in the nation. They are ranked the 25th best national university by USNews.

If you would like to understand how likely you are to get into the University of Michigan based on your current scores, use our US College Admissions Calculator

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