Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mid-Atlantic
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Carnegie Mellon University, PA: $115k
- #2 University of Pennsylvania, PA: $111k
- #3 Helene Fuld College of Nursing, NY: $111k
- 100 colleges ranked across the Mid-Atlantic
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $56k across the typical college in this list.
- 1Carnegie Mellon University PA$115k
- 2University of Pennsylvania PA$111k
- 3Helene Fuld College of Nursing NY$111k
- 4Princeton University NJ$110k
- 5Stevens Institute of Technology NJ$109k
- 6Lehigh University PA$106k
- 7St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens NY$104k
- 8Cornell University NY$104k
- 9Georgetown University DC$103k
- 10Columbia University in the City of New York NY$102k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Carnegie Mellon University leads on $115k, and #10 Columbia University in the City of New York is at $102k.
- Helene Fuld College of Nursing reaches #3 on a sample of 914 students enrolled, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Cornell University is the largest market in the top ten, with 15,995 students enrolled behind its figure.
- Colleges with fewer than 500 students enrolled are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Median earnings ten years after enrolling show what former students of a college go on to earn, as the Department of Education publishes it.
How to use it
Compare colleges within the same level and field, and read earnings next to completion rate and net price. Earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as the college.
The top 25
- 1
Carnegie Mellon University PA
$115k
- Completion rate
- 94%
- Net price a year
- $31,944
- Private nonprofit
- 7,304 students
Based on 7,304 students enrolled.
Carnegie Mellon University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 2
University of Pennsylvania PA
$111k
- Completion rate
- 97%
- Net price a year
- $28,699
- Private nonprofit
- 10,650 students
Based on 10,650 students enrolled.
University of Pennsylvania: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 3
Helene Fuld College of Nursing NY
$111k
- Completion rate
- Not available
- Net price a year
- $47,181
- Private nonprofit
- 914 students
Based on 914 students enrolled.
Helene Fuld College of Nursing: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 4
Princeton University NJ
$110k
- Completion rate
- 98%
- Net price a year
- $6,128
- Private nonprofit
- 5,709 students
Based on 5,709 students enrolled.
- 5
Stevens Institute of Technology NJ
$109k
- Completion rate
- 87%
- Net price a year
- $41,346
- Private nonprofit
- 4,222 students
Based on 4,222 students enrolled.
Stevens Institute of Technology: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 6
Lehigh University PA
$106k
- Completion rate
- 88%
- Net price a year
- $36,931
- Private nonprofit
- 5,898 students
Based on 5,898 students enrolled.
- 7
St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens NY
$104k
- Completion rate
- 56%
- Net price a year
- $26,315
- Private for-profit
- 1,056 students
Based on 1,056 students enrolled.
St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 8
Cornell University NY
$104k
- Completion rate
- 95%
- Net price a year
- $28,690
- Private nonprofit
- 15,995 students
Based on 15,995 students enrolled.
- 9
Georgetown University DC
$103k
- Completion rate
- 95%
- Net price a year
- $40,815
- Private nonprofit
- 7,569 students
Based on 7,569 students enrolled.
- 10
- Completion rate
- 96%
- Net price a year
- $21,590
- Private nonprofit
- 8,973 students
Based on 8,973 students enrolled.
Columbia University in the City of New York: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 11
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY
$102k
- Completion rate
- 84%
- Net price a year
- $36,228
- Private nonprofit
- 5,714 students
Based on 5,714 students enrolled.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 12
Villanova University PA
$100k
- Completion rate
- 92%
- Net price a year
- $43,756
- Private nonprofit
- 6,938 students
Based on 6,938 students enrolled.
- 13
SUNY Maritime College NY
$96k
- Completion rate
- 64%
- Net price a year
- $22,367
- Public
- 1,285 students
Based on 1,285 students enrolled.
- 14
Washington and Lee University VA
$95k
- Completion rate
- 94%
- Net price a year
- $23,781
- Private nonprofit
- 1,881 students
Based on 1,881 students enrolled.
Washington and Lee University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 15
Bucknell University PA
$94k
- Completion rate
- 86%
- Net price a year
- $40,766
- Private nonprofit
- 3,876 students
Based on 3,876 students enrolled.
- 16
- Completion rate
- 33%
- Net price a year
- $37,984
- Private for-profit
- 1,226 students
Based on 1,226 students enrolled.
Chamberlain University-New Jersey: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 17
Chamberlain University-Virginia VA
$92k
- Completion rate
- 100%
- Net price a year
- $33,199
- Private for-profit
- 557 students
Based on 557 students enrolled.
Chamberlain University-Virginia: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 18
Lafayette College PA
$91k
- Completion rate
- 88%
- Net price a year
- $34,433
- Private nonprofit
- 2,757 students
Based on 2,757 students enrolled.
- 19
George Washington University DC
$91k
- Completion rate
- 84%
- Net price a year
- $36,586
- Private nonprofit
- 11,182 students
Based on 11,182 students enrolled.
George Washington University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 20
- Completion rate
- 82%
- Net price a year
- $6,174
- Public
- 962 students
Based on 962 students enrolled.
United States Merchant Marine Academy: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 21
Clarkson University NY
$90k
- Completion rate
- 75%
- Net price a year
- $30,305
- Private nonprofit
- 2,196 students
Based on 2,196 students enrolled.
- 22
Union College NY
$89k
- Completion rate
- 80%
- Net price a year
- $34,561
- Private nonprofit
- 2,046 students
Based on 2,046 students enrolled.
- 23
- Completion rate
- Not available
- Net price a year
- Not available
- Public
- 958 students
Based on 958 students enrolled.
University of Maryland, Baltimore: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 24
Johns Hopkins University MD
$88k
- Completion rate
- 94%
- Net price a year
- $18,809
- Private nonprofit
- 5,693 students
Based on 5,693 students enrolled.
Johns Hopkins University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 25
Saint Joseph's University PA
$87k
- Completion rate
- 79%
- Net price a year
- $29,689
- Private nonprofit
- 4,948 students
Based on 4,948 students enrolled.
Saint Joseph's University: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
Full ranking
All 100 colleges that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
How this ranking works
Earnings are the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, ten years after they first enrolled, as published in the Department of Education College Scorecard. They describe past students, not a promise for future ones.
Only colleges with at least 500 students and published earnings are ranked. A college's earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as what the college teaches.
Sample bar: colleges with fewer than 500 students enrolled are not ranked.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (median earnings, completion, net price), as held in our college tables. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which certification ranks first: colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the mid-atlantic?
- Carnegie Mellon University leads the Mid-Atlantic among colleges for earnings: its former students earn a median of $115k ten years after enrolling, against $56k for the typical college in this list.
- How many colleges are ranked?
- 100 colleges have at least 500 students enrolled, so the list has 100 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- Earnings are the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, ten years after they first enrolled, as published in the Department of Education College Scorecard. They describe past students, not a promise for future ones. Only colleges with at least 500 students and published earnings are ranked. A college's earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as what the college teaches.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
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- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mid-Atlantic
- Best cities for junior jobs in the Mid-Atlantic
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
- Four-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
- Community and two-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in Alabama
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in Arkansas
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in Arizona
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mid-Atlantic,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/colleges-with-the-highest-earnings-in-the-mid-atlantic
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/colleges-with-the-highest-earnings-in-the-mid-atlantic">Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mid-Atlantic (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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