News methodology, saying that it ranks based on prestige and focuses on affluent students and schools rather than data-driven student outcomes. Critics have long cited issues with the U.S. Its ranking lists evaluate schools based on various metrics often reported by the schools themselves, such as selectivity, graduation and retention rates, student-to-faculty ratio, and academic reputation. News has been publishing college rankings lists since 1983 and is a well-known resource for students and schools alike. How do the 2021 GradReports rankings compare to this year’s U.S. #50 California State University-East Bay Hayward (CA) #47 Colorado State University Global Greenwood Village (CO) #43 Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia (PA) #42 American Public University System Charles Town (WV) #41 Southern Methodist University Dallas (TX) #38 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (CA) #37 Wake Forest University Winston Salem (NC) #29 University of San Francisco San Francisco (CA) #28 College of the Holy Cross Worcester (MA) #26 University of Southern California Los Angeles (CA) #24 Northwestern University Evanston (IL) #23 Northeastern University Burlington (MA) #22 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley (CA) #21 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame (IN) #20 Thomas Edison State University Trenton (NJ) #19 Columbia University in the City of New York New York (NY) #13 (tie) Princeton University Princeton (NJ) #10 Dominican University of California San Rafael (CA) #8 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh (PA) #7 Santa Clara University Santa Clara (CA) #4 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia (PA) #2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge (MA) This finding highlights the fact that, while prestigious universities do often produce highly paid graduates, there are many non-elite institutions whose graduates earn comparable salaries across a range of industries. We also found that only six out of the eight Ivy League schools were listed in the top 25 schools for earning potential. Our research found that 86 of the top 100 schools for earning potential were private colleges, and the top 19 schools were private nonprofit institutions. Read our methodology to learn more about how schools were ranked. To be considered for our rankings, schools must offer and provide data for at least 10 bachelor's programs. The schools on this list are ranked by our proprietary Salary Score, which reflects how much alumni make compared to alumni of the same programs at other colleges. This list highlights schools whose alumni earn high salaries in the year after graduation, regardless of their field of study. Higher education is a significant financial investment, and we believe salary is a critical metric of student success. When making decisions about higher education, one of the top considerations for students is how their degree will impact their career and salary.