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

MICHIGAN — Sixteen Michigan institutions 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 Michigan, graduates of Michigan Technological University, a public institution in Houghton, have the potential to earn the best salaries of any school in Michigan, according to the ranking. Nationally, Michigan Technological University ranks No. 15 among the top 500.

Others on the list are:

No. 19 Kettering University, Flint, Private

No. 44 University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Private

No. 47 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Public

No. 100 Michigan State University, East Lansing, Public

No. 128 Albion College, Albion, Private

No. 147 Oakland University, Auburn Hills/Rochester Hills, Public

No. 178 University of Michigan, Dearborn, Dearborn, Public

No. 220 Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Private

No. 228 Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Public

No. 231 Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Public

No. 346 Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Public

No. 350 Wayne State University, Detroit, Public

No. 363 Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Public

No. 442 Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Private

No. 455 Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, 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.

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.

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