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April 2016

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Santa Clara University Ranks High on PayScale College ROI Report

SCU in the top ten percent of colleges for return on investment

Santa Clara University ranks in the top ten percent of PayScale College ROI rankings

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 19, 2016— Santa Clara University ranks as one of the best-returning college investments in the country, according to a new survey by PayScale, Inc., a compensation-data company based in Seattle, WA.

Ranked in the top ten percent, Santa Clara University placed 60th out of the 962 schools that were included in the PayScale College ROI list. Of the schools included in the overall PayScale College ROI list, there were 442 public, 505 private not-for-profit, and 15 private for-profit schools.

The survey ranked schools by their “20 Year Return on Investment,” meaning the additional salary over 20 years that a graduating student would earn above that of a high-school graduate, after subtracting the cost of four years of education.

"The time and energy I put in to my education at Santa Clara University paid off tenfold. I was able to learn from some of the best and brightest professors that cared about my educational experience," said Michael M. Shea, Jr. ’83, J.D. ’86. "The Jesuit values that I gained at SCU, especially service to others, still guide my life and help me strive to do more in my career as a lawyer. The ability to right a wrong and command that justice be served is an incredible feeling of accomplishment. I do believe that much of my success is thanks to SCU."

According to the report, Santa Clara University graduates were calculated as having a 20-year net ROI of $609,000. SCU graduates reported an average salary of $59,800 in their early career and a mid-career salary of $117,000. These numbers were higher than those reported by graduates from Northwestern, Notre Dame, Duke, and Georgetown to name a few.

The report concluded that the highest salaries among SCU alumni are earned by Senior Software Engineers, who earn a median salary of around $131,000 per year. The next highest salaries were reported by Account Executives ($89,000) and Sales Engineers ($86,000).  

The full report, survey, and methodology can be found at http://www.payscale.com/college-roi

About PayScale
Cloud software, crowd sourced data and unique algorithms power the world’s largest real-time database of rich salary profiles giving PayScale the unique ability to provide employees and employers alike immediate visibility into the right pay for any position. PayScale’s cloud compensation software is used by more than 3,500 customers including Bloomberg BNA, Cummins, Warby Parker, Clemson University and Signature HealthCARE.  

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact
Tina Vossugh| tvossugh@scu.edu | (408) 829-4836

 

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