How Much Does a Massachusetts College Graduate Make?

What is the true value of a college education? Does one school offer a greater income potential than another, similarly priced college or university?

While colleges on the bottom of the list are unlikely to answer such a question to a prospective student, the U.S. Department of Education has provided a guideline, comparing the average annual cost of a college education with the average salary a graduate makes 10 years out of each school. The department broke down the expense/earning potential of every college and university in the country, including in Massachusetts.

Here are the top 50 Massachusetts colleges in terms of their student’s average earning potential. The first number in the list is the school’s average annual cost; the second is the average salary of a graduate 10 years out of school:

1. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Boston — $34,345 — $116,400
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge — $21,816 — $91,600
3. Harvard University, Cambridge — $14,049 — $87,200
4. Babson College, Wellesley — $28,057 — $85,500
5. Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay — $16,546 — $79,500
6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester — $35,483 — $77,600
7. Bentley University, Waltham — $29,886 — $74,900
8. Tufts University, Medford — $29,271 — $67,800
9. Boston College, Chestnut Hill — $33,070 — $67,000
10. College of the Holy Cross, Worcester — $32,118 ‚ $63,700
11. Boston University, Boston — $34,603 — $60,600
12. Northeastern University, Boston — $31,503 — $60,100
13. Stonehill College, Easton — $30,743 — $58,800
14. Brandeis University, Waltham — $29,578 — $58,800
15. Williams College, Williamstown — $20,935 — $58,100
16. Amherst College, Amherst — $19,449 — $56,800
17. Wellesley College, Wellesley — $21,930 — $56,700
18. Merrimack College, North Andover — $29,063 — $55,400
19. Western New England University, Springfield — $28,517 — $55,100
20. Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston — $31,201 — $54,600
21. University of Phoenix-Boston Campus, Braintree — $20,584 — $53,400
22. Assumption College, Worcester — $25,663 — $52,800
23. Simmons College, Boston — $29,085 — $51,400
24. Suffolk University, Boston — $27,507 — $49,900
25. University of Massachusetts-Amherst — $19,087 — $49,600
26. University of Massachusetts-Lowell — $16,351 — $48,900
27. Nichols College, Dudley — $26,673 — $47,100
28. Wheaton College, Norton — $30,179 — $46,400
29. University of Massachusetts-Boston — $11,741 — $45,800
30. Springfield College, Springfield — $27,674 — $45,100
31. University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, North Dartmouth — $17,092 — $44,800
32. Emerson College, Boston — $36,378 — $44,800
33. Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy — $18,191 — $44,400
34. Clark University, Worcester — $23,415 — $44,100
35. Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley — $28,118 — $44,100.00
36. College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee — $19,996 — $43,700
37. Worcester State University, Worcester — $14,402 — $43,700
38. Curry College, Milton — $30,561 — $43,600
39. Regis College, Weston — $37,829 — $43,300
40. Westfield State University, Westfield — $16,558 — $43,300
41. Framingham State University, Framingham — $17,552 — $43,200
42. Endicott College, Beverly — $31,810 — $42,800
43. Smith College, Northampton — $24,603 — $42,700
44. Emmanuel College, Boston — $30,731 — $42,400
45. American International College, Springfield — $19,155 — $42,400
46. Anna Maria College, Paxton — $24,684 — $42,400
47. Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg — $12,849 — $42,100.00
48. Bay Path College, Longmeadow — $20,836 — $41,900
49. Boston Architectural College, Boston — $32,772 — $41,600
50. Gordon College, Wenham — $26,144 — $41,600