WhatGradsMake
58,607 programs · 943 universities

What do graduates actually make?

Real median salaries 1, 5 and 10 years after graduation — for every university, major and degree the U.S. Census Bureau tracks. No self-reported surveys.

Highest-paying bachelor's majors (5 yrs out, national median)

  1. 01Petroleum Engineering$152,398
  2. 02Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$133,861
  3. 03Systems Engineering$128,583
  4. 04Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering$120,021
  5. 05Marine Transportation$111,047
  6. 06Computer Engineering$109,162
  7. 07Mining and Mineral Engineering$108,803
  8. 08Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management$104,739
  9. 09Chemical Engineering$104,343
  10. 10Engineering, Other$103,113

Fastest salary growth (year 1 → year 10)

  1. Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsUniversity of Akron (The)+684%
  2. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationUniversity of Connecticut+644%
  3. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationSouth Dakota State University+638%
  4. MedicineUniversity of South Dakota+577%
  5. MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport+570%
  6. MedicineUniversity of Missouri - Columbia+528%
  7. Health Professions and Related ProgramsPennsylvania State University (The)+527%
  8. MedicinePennsylvania State University (The)+527%
  9. Health Professions and Related ProgramsUniversity of Missouri - Columbia+521%
  10. MedicineUniversity of Minnesota - Twin Cities+507%

Browse by state

Alabama3 schools · 310 programsArizona3 schools · 527 programsColorado31 schools · 2,046 programsConnecticut29 schools · 1,594 programsDistrict of Columbia1 schools · 47 programsGeorgia35 schools · 1,953 programsHawaii10 schools · 546 programsIdaho1 schools · 92 programsIllinois79 schools · 5,276 programsIndiana57 schools · 3,380 programsIowa18 schools · 1,466 programsLouisiana32 schools · 1,727 programsMaine14 schools · 642 programsMassachusetts28 schools · 1,561 programsMichigan1 schools · 169 programsMinnesota61 schools · 3,763 programsMissouri27 schools · 1,760 programsMontana11 schools · 637 programsNationwide (Online)1 schools · 28 programsNew York79 schools · 4,256 programsNorth Carolina16 schools · 1,338 programsOhio37 schools · 3,829 programsOklahoma29 schools · 1,240 programsOregon24 schools · 1,532 programsPennsylvania24 schools · 778 programsRhode Island2 schools · 80 programsSouth Carolina53 schools · 2,525 programsSouth Dakota10 schools · 634 programsTexas109 schools · 7,623 programsUtah17 schools · 1,213 programsVirginia67 schools · 3,766 programsWest Virginia12 schools · 695 programsWisconsin14 schools · 1,050 programsWyoming8 schools · 524 programs

Where the numbers come from

The Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program links graduation records to actual earnings reported in unemployment-insurance wage data — release V4.13.0 2025Q4. That means real paychecks, not survey answers. Read the methodology →