In a new report, titled “Beyond College Rankings,” Brookings Fellow Jonathan Rothwell explores the “value-added” of 2- and 4-year colleges in the United States. Unlike many previous measures of college performance, Rothwell’s “value-added” measure accounts for the difference in the expected economic success of alumni and the actual outcomes of graduates. Rothwell measures the expected success of alumni from each school based on factors like academic performance, student body demographics, and the types of courses offered at each school. He then compares these measures against the actual performance of graduates from each school based on mid-career earnings levels, the value of job skills, and ability to repay student loans.
Within the report, you will find an interactive that allows you to sort nearly 7,000 U.S. colleges based on these measures of alumni performance.
Here are the top 10 four-year colleges, based on the “value added” of alumni mid-career earnings levels:
| Rank | Institution | Salary Value-added | Predicted Mid-career Salary | Actual Mid-career salary* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | California Institute of Technology | 49% | $77,129 | $126,200 |
| 2. | Colgate University | 46% | $79,774 | $126,600 |
| 3. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 45% | $82,439 | $128,800 |
| 4. | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 44% | $73,628 | $114,100 |
| 5. | Carleton College | 43% | $76,236 | $117,700 |
| 6. | Washington and Lee University | 42% | $81,281 | $124,300 |
| 7. | SUNY Maritime College | 42% | $79,637 | $121,700 |
| 8. | Clarkson University | 42% | $72,583 | $110,700 |
| 9. | Manhattan College | 42% | $72,701 | $110,800 |
| 10. | Stanford University | 41% | $83,864 | $126,400 |
Source: Brookings analysis
*Actual Mid-Career Earnings are from Payscale.com
Visit the full report and interactive for details on the calculation and to see how other schools perform.
Commentary
A new kind of college ranking: The 10 universities that will increase your career earnings the most
April 29, 2015