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U.S. News & World Report Adds PayScale Salary Data to ‘Best Colleges’ Rankings

Topics: Data & Research
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Baim Hanif/Getty Images

Every year since 1983, U.S. News & World Report publishes its Best Colleges report, ranking over 1,800 of the country’s top schools on metrics related to academic excellence. This year, for the first time, U.S. News displays PayScale salary data on school profile pages, to give readers insight into their earning potential as alumni.

“Increasingly, families and students have asked U.S. News to provide more information on salary post-graduation,” said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News, in a statement. “In addition to the rich data we display on college cost, location, size and academic life, we wanted to make this salary information easily available for students as they research their college options.”

The salary data is not included as a metric in the rankings; rather, it’s intended to provide additional information for prospective students and their families who are making their college choice. School profile pages display alumni salary data, including the median starting salary for all graduates. Subscribers to U.S. News College Compass will also be able to see salaries broken down by major.

PayScale’s recently published 2017-2018 College Salary Report provides detailed salary data for over 2,400 colleges and universities that award bachelor’s and associate degrees.

Do You Know What You're Worth?

How Important Is Earning Potential When Choosing a College?

Salary after graduation is only one factor to consider during the college selection process. But with seven out of 10 college seniors graduating with loans averaging $30,100 per borrower, it makes sense for students and their families to think carefully about financial considerations like future pay.

“While earning potential shouldn’t be the only consideration when selecting a school and major, it is certainly an important one, especially when families consider the cost and potential future debt associated with each student’s education,” said PayScale Vice President Lydia Frank. “We are excited to work with U.S. News on their popular rankings report to provide rich and accurate alumni salary insights so families and students can make more informed decisions about their future careers and earning potential.”

Tell Us What You Think

Did salary potential factor into your college decision? We want to hear from you. Tell us your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter.

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt
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