Location, prestige, academic reputation and tuition are major factors for students in the college selection process, but post-graduate salary is something rarely taken into consideration.


Although salaries depend heavily on a graduate''s field of work, companies are willing to pay a premium for students hailing from the nation''s top universities. But which undergraduate institutions offer the most valuable educations?

Recently, PayScale.com released a report on the highest salary potential among the nation''s top colleges, and from this data, colleges and universities can be ranked by the mid-career median salaries of its graduates. For schools with the same mid-career median salaries, starting median salary determines their relative rank.

So, which schools have highest paid graduates?

Duke University

8. Duke University

Mid-career median salary: $111,000
Starting median salary: $59,600

Location: Durham, N.C.
2010-2011 tuition: $40,472
College rank: 9 (National)
Acceptance rate: 18.9%
Total undergrad enrollment: 6,578

Jim Henderson - Wikicommons

7. Polytechnic Institute of New York University

Mid-career median salary: $113,000
Starting median salary: $61,000

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
2010-2011 tuition: $36,284
College rank: 153 (National)
Acceptance rate: 55%
Total undergrad enrollment: 1,732

Dartmouth College

6. Dartmouth College

Mid-career median salary: $114,000
Starting median salary: $51,600

Location: Hanover, N.H.
2010-2011 tuition: $40,437
College rank: 9 (National)
Acceptance rate: 12.6%
Total undergrad enrollment: 4,196

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Mid-career median salary: $115,000
Starting median salary: $69,700

Location: Cambridge, Mass.
2010-2011 tuition: $39,212
College rank: 7 (National)
Acceptance rate: 10.7%
Total undergrad enrollment: 4,232

Steve Dunwell

4. Harvard University

Mid-career median salary: $116,000
Starting median salary: $54,100

Location: Cambridge, Mass.
2010-2011 tuition: $38,416
College rank: 1 (National)
Acceptance rate: 7.5%
Total undergrad enrollment: 6,655

Harvey Mudd College

3. Harvey Mudd College

Mid-career median salary: $121,000
Starting median salary: $64,400

Location: Claremont, Calif.
2010-2011 tuition: $40,390
College rank: 18 (Liberal Arts)
Acceptance rate: 34.1%
Total undergrad enrollment: 757

CalTech

2. California Institute of Technology (CalTech)

Mid-career median salary: $123,000
Starting median salary: $69,600

Location: Pasadena, Calif.
2010-2011 tuition: $36,282
College rank: 7 (National)
Acceptance rate: 15.3%
Total undergrad enrollment: 951

Princeton University

1. Princeton University

Mid-career median salary: $130,000
Starting median salary: $56,900

Location: Princeton, N.J.
2010-2011 tuition: $36,640
College rank: 2 (National)
Acceptance rate: 10.1%
Total undergrad enrollment: 5,113