Colleges with the highest-paid grads

highest paid alumni polytechnic institute nyu

NYU-Poly's campus is located in downtown Brooklyn, NY.

Rank: 14 (tie)
Mid-career salary: $116,000
Starting salary: $60,700
% of grads who think their job is meaningful: 59%

This 159-year-old institute in downtown Brooklyn, now affiliated with New York University, devotes much of its academic instruction to technology and applied sciences. Many of its grads end up in the high-paying software and tech industries -- which the school notes is especially important since nearly half of its students receive federal Pell Grants for low-income families. In addition, 38% of students report they are the first in their family to attend college.

First published October 23, 2013: 12:50 PM ET

Source: PayScale.com. Data used in the College Salary Report came from surveys completed by roughly 1.4 million college graduates of 1,016 colleges and universities, which represent 75% of all bachelor's degree recipients in the U.S. Graduates with advanced degrees were excluded from the results. Only full-time, civilian workers based in the 50 states and District of Columbia were counted. Mid-career results were based on median salaries of graduates with 10 years of work experience. Whether a job is meaningful is based on the percentage of graduates who answered "Very much so" and "Yes" to the question: "Does your work make the world a better place?"

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