PayScale.com conducted the survey on nearly 1,000 schools across the nation. Only United States full-time employees with nothing higher than bachelor’s degrees were evaluated. Typical (median) starting graduates were 25 years old and had two years of experience, while typical (median) mid-career graduates were 42 years old and had 15 years of experience.
On the national scale, only two Midwestern colleges — University of Illinois and Missouri University of Science and Technology — ranked higher than Miami for top state universities by salary potential. Miami ranked 21st among top public universities.
PayScale.com combined base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable. The survey provides the median salary for graduates of most large enrollment universities in the United States, along with many smaller private, highly selective and engineering schools. Almost all four-year public schools with undergraduate enrollment of at least 5,000 and private schools with undergraduate enrollment of at least 1,000 were considered for PayScale’s Education Package.
The Midwestern College Salary Report included universities from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
University of Notre Dame and Carleton College took the number one and two spots.
For a complete ranking of Midwestern colleges, visit www.payscale.com/best-colleges/midwestern-colleges.asp.