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October 2018

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Cash Register image

SCU Grads Top the Charts for Post-Graduation Salaries

SCU alumni are in the top 1 percent of all bachelor-degree programs nationwide, earning a median $66,800 early in their careers, and $139,100 within 10 years, according to data company PayScale.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 10, 2018—From engineering to science, business to communications, graduates of Santa Clara University rank in the top 1 to 5 percent of undergraduate alumni nationwide for the salaries they command after graduation through mid-career.

Those are the findings of the 2018-19 College Salary Report recently released by PayScale, Inc., a compensation-data company based in Seattle, Washington.

Overall, out of 1,655 schools offering bachelor’s degrees, Santa Clara University alumni ranked 13th—in the top 1 percent —for salary levels early in their careers, and at mid-career. The median earnings for SCU alumni within their first five years post-graduation was $66,800. For those who were 10 or more years into their careers, the median was $139,100.

“These results are the manifestation of many things of which Santa Clara University is extremely proud,” said Mike Sexton, vice president for enrollment management. “They reflect our stellar student body—86 percent of whom graduate within six years; our strong network of alumni who support the career outcomes of each successive graduating class; and our prime location which means nearly 80 percent of our graduates participate in an internship where they can demonstrate what they can do with what they’ve learned.”

The PayScale rankings parsed the data by academic major, as well.

Santa Clara University placed in the top 1 percent for early and mid-career salaries for those who majored in communication and journalism, as well as in business. Those majoring in engineering, social sciences, or humanities landed in the top 4 percent for salaries; and those majoring in science ranked among the top 5 percent, according to PayScale data.

More details:

No. 4 in the country (637/ top 1 percent) for communications and journalism majors
No. 10 (1,307/ top 1 percent) for business majors
No. 16 (409 /top 4 percent) for engineering majors
No. 23 (718/ top 4 percent) for social science majors
No. 23 (715 / top 4 percent) for humanities majors
No. 28 (643 / top 5 percent) for science majors
And No. 13 (1,655/ top 1 percent) overall for all bachelor's programs


To determine its rankings, PayScale looks at the early and mid-career salary data from 3.2 million graduates of 2,700 colleges across the country. More data on their methodology can be found here.




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

Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | (408) 554-5121

 

 

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