Want To Make A Lot Of Money? Go To One Of These FL Colleges

FLORIDA — Fifteen institutions in Florida are among the best public and private colleges and universities in the country when it comes to setting up graduates for financial success, according to a ranking by The Wall Street Journal.

In Florida, graduates of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a private institution in Daytona Beach, have the potential to earn the best salaries of any school in Florida, according to the ranking. Nationally, Embry-Riddle ranks 34th among the top 500.

Others on the list are:

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, No. 34, private
• Florida International University, Miami, No. 170, public
• University of Florida, Gainesville, No. 194, public
• Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, No. 240, public
• University of Miami, Coral Gables, No. 254, private
• University of North Florida, Jacksonville, No. 262, public
• Florida State University, Tallahassee, No. 312, public
• University of South Florida, Tampa, No. 345, public
• University of Central Florida, Orlando, No. 353, public
• Nova Southeastern University, Davie, No. 360, private
• University of Tampa, Tampa, No. 386, private
• Rollins College, Winter Park, No. 436, private
• Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, No. 452, public
• Flagler College, St. Augustine, No. 482, private
• Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, No. 496, private

Private universities claimed 36 of the top 50 spots on the salary list, with prestigious private colleges and universities prominent in the upper tier. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology topped the list, but other schools with robust STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) were also prominent in the top 15: No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 6 California Institute of Technology and No. 7 Harvey Mudd College, No. 9 Missouri University of Science and Technology, No. 12 Milwaukee School of Engineering, and No. 15 Michigan Technological University.

RELATED: 15 FL Colleges Ranked Among Top In U.S. For 2025

The Wall Street Journal said the top 20 schools nationwide in this ranking are:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (private)
2. Stanford University, Stanford, California (private)
3. Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (private)
4. Georgia Institute of Technology - main campus, Atlanta, Georgia (public)
5. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (private)
6. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (private)
7. Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California (private)
8. Babson College, Babson Park, Massachusetts (private)
9. Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla (public)
10. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (private)
11. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California (private)
12. Milwaukee School of Engineering (private)
13. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (private)
14. Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts (private)
15. Michigan Technological University, Houghton (public)
16. Colorado School of Mines, Golden (public)
17. San Jose State University, San Jose, California (public)
18. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (private)
19. Kettering University, Flint, Michigan (private)
20. Manhattan University, Bronx, New York (private)

The Journal and research partner Statista looked at raw income data 10 or 11 years after students entered college, then compared that to the extent to which those earnings outpaced expected salaries in an analysis modeled on research from the Brookings Institution. The analysis also drew on research from the public policy think tank Third Way that looked at how long it would take these premium earners to pay for the cost of their four-year degree.

» See the full Best Salaries ranking and more about the methodology on The Wall Street Journal.