2 Bay Area colleges make list of highest-paid graduates

Two private Bay Area universities made it to the top 10 of a list ranking the highest-paid college graduates. 

Stanford University and Santa Clara University were the first California schools to appear on the list from Payscale ranking the salaries of graduates with bachelor’s degrees, with Stanford No. 5 and Santa Clara No. 9. The college salary report also has a separate list for graduates with associate’s degrees.

Stanford graduates early in their careers, with about five or less years of experience, make $98,900 a year on average. By mid-career, Stanford alumni reported bringing in $170,600. Another interesting data point: 57% of the graduates said they believe their job makes the world a better place, according to the report. More than half of the university’s graduates earned degrees in science, technology, engineering or math subjects. 

Santa Clara University reported similar salaries, with alumni getting paid on average $87,300 early in their careers and $173,100 mid-career. Only 23% of the graduates have a degree in STEM subjects, and 45% of graduates said they believe their work betters the world. 

The California Institute of Technology also appeared high on the list at No. 15, with new graduates earning an average of $105,000, and mid-career graduates $168,700. 

While Ivy League and private universities produced some of the highest-paid graduates, some public universities still dominated the rankings. 

UC Berkeley was the top public university in California on the list, reporting numbers similar to those of the private schools. UC Berkeley’s alumni early in their careers reported an average salary of $88,300 and a salary of $167,000 in their mid-careers. 

Several STEM majors had the highest paying jobs in recent years. For the past three graduating classes, the highest paying jobs from UC Berkeley alumni were software engineers, software developers, data scientists and product managers, Elisa Smith, a spokesperson for the university, told SFGATE. 

Graduates who majored in math, chemistry, economics, statistics, computer science and electrical engineering typically have the top-paying jobs, Smith said. More than 70% of alumni’s first jobs after college are in California, and a lot of those jobs are mainly in the Bay Area, Smith said. 

The next California schools to appear on the list are both public schools, with California State University Maritime Academy ranking No. 37 and UC San Diego at No. 49. A large majority of the UC schools fell between the No. 50 and 100 rankings. 

After Cal Maritime, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was the next CSU to appear on the list, at No. 56, with graduates making an average of $80,500 in the beginning of their careers and $148,600 mid-career.

Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology beat out all the universities though on the rankings, tying for the No. 1 spot. Both schools reported a mid-career pay of $189,400.