by
Emilie Rusch

Payscale: Colorado School of Mines grads have fourth highest salary potential among all public universities, colleges

Mines student shakes hand with recruiter at Career Day

More than more than 3,500 students and recent graduates and 323 employers participated in the in-person and virtual Fall 2021 Career Days at Colorado School of Mines. (Photo by Agata Bogucka/Colorado School of Mines).

Colorado School of Mines is the No. 4 public university in the nation for salary potential, according to the latest rankings from Payscale.

Only two U.S. service academies and SUNY Maritime College ranked ahead of Mines among public colleges in PayScale’s 2021 College Salary Report, which compares U.S. colleges and universities based on both their early and mid-career alumni earnings.

At Mines, bachelor’s degree recipients reported a median salary of $79,300 during the first five years after graduation and $148,700 after 10 or more years of work experience. Overall, that puts Mines at No. 19 among all public and private universities in the 2021 report.

Mines also scored high on return on investment, ranking No. 7 among all public and private universities on Payscale’s Best Value Colleges list.

Mines’ 20-year net ROI — the difference between 20-year median pay for a bachelor’s degree graduate and 24-year median pay for a high school graduate, minus the four-year tuition cost — was calculated at $1,017,000.

Emilie Rusch

Emilie Rusch

Director of Communications
303-273-3361
About Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and innovations to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future.