Colleges with the highest-paid grads

Yale's New Haven, Conn. campus.

Rank: 12 (tie)
Mid-career salary: $117,000
Starting salary: $50,000
% of grads who think their job is meaningful: 59%

Like other Ivy League schools on the list, Yale's alumni roster includes its fair share of U.S. presidents (including George W. and George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford), in addition to many other heavy-hitters. Unlike many of the schools on this list, Yale is known for its arts and drama programs, as well as its research-focused programs in the humanities and science.

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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