Harvey Mudd Ranks Third for Mid-career Earning Potential

Harvey Mudd College alumni earn the third highest mid-career salaries of all U.S. college and university graduates, according to PayScale’s 2016–2017 College Salary Report.

PayScale’s survey is based on mid-career salaries of alumni who pursued careers with a bachelor’s degree as their final degree. “Mid-career” is defined as 10 or more years of experience in a field.

Harvey Mudd ranked No. 3 overall with a median mid-career salary of $131,000, tying with Princeton University. Over the past four years, Harvey Mudd has held the No. 1 spot three times and the No. 2 spot once. The PayScale College Salary Report also includes college graduates’ early career earnings, defining “early career” as five years of experience in a field. This year, Harvey Mudd had the highest median early career salaries of all colleges and universities.

“Harvey Mudd’s curriculum was developed not to help graduates earn high salaries but to prepare them to become problem-solvers able to address the world’s challenges,” said Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Thyra Briggs. “We provide a rigorous math and science education in a broader liberal arts context, which gives our students skills and knowledge to solve demanding technical problems as well as communicate clearly and work in teams. This combination of traits may distinguish our students from other high-level math and science graduates and make them attractive to employers and graduate schools.”

In PayScale’s 2016 College ROI Report, a separate report published each spring,Harvey Mudd ranked No. 3 for overall college return on investment, tying with SUNY – Maritime College. Prior to 2016, Harvey Mudd held the No. 1 spot in PayScale’s College ROI Report for four years straight, from 2012 to 2015.