Federal data
Highest earning master's education programs in the United States
U.S. education programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitworth University | Spokane | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $80,115 | 44 |
| 2 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $77,823 | 84 |
| 3 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $77,526 | 48 |
| 4 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $77,285 | 141 |
| 5 | Cambridge College | Boston | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $76,955 | 43 |
| 6 | University of Washington | Seattle | Public, 4-year | $76,750 | 39 |
| 7 | University of Massachusetts Global | Aliso Viejo | Public, 4-year | $75,971 | 164 |
| 8 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $73,028 | 118 |
| 9 | Grand Canyon University | Phoenix | For-profit, 4-year | $72,460 | 920 |
| 10 | Stanford University | Stanford | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $71,967 | 161 |
| 11 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $71,800 | 110 |
| 12 | Southern Utah University | Cedar City | Public, 4-year | $71,314 | 126 |
| 13 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Pomona | Public, 4-year | $70,724 | 37 |
| 14 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $69,882 | 51 |
| 15 | University of Puget Sound | Tacoma | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $69,693 | 53 |
| 16 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $68,140 | 68 |
| 17 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $68,117 | 96 |
| 18 | Hamline University | Saint Paul | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $67,927 | 40 |
| 19 | University of Wyoming | Laramie | Public, 4-year | $67,730 | 72 |
| 20 | Eastern Washington University | Cheney | Public, 4-year | $67,369 | 91 |
| 21 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $67,260 | 368 |
| 22 | Harvard University | Cambridge | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $65,968 | 588 |
| 23 | Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | Public, 4-year | $65,943 | 32 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
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