As student debt numbers continue to soar and the job market becomes increasingly competitive, prospective college students care now more than ever about being able to support themselves after graduation – and their parents want to help them avoid drowning in the $1.6 trillion national student loan debt.

 GradReports, recently released new proprietary Salary Scores in an effort to empower students with the data necessary to compare schools and equip themselves for a successful future. GradReports compared the salaries of over 4.6 million college graduates to determine Salary Scores for 2,200+ colleges and 334 majors. 

The Salary Score is based on median alumni earnings in the year after graduating, using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. It allows students to compare the earning power they can expect as a graduate from one school vs. another. For instance,

• Southern Methodist University has an overall Salary Score of 90 at the Bachelor’s level. Viewing the Salary Score by major allows one to notice some bachelor’s degrees from SMU with particularly high post-graduate salaries, including a Salary Score of 97 for business administration majors and 100 for fine and studio arts.
• Texas Christian University has an overall Salary Score of 81 at the Bachelor’s level. Some standout Salary Scores by major at TCU include a score of 99 in business administration and 100 in teacher education and professional development.

In order to easily access the overall Salary Scores for colleges and each of their programs, students and their parents can use GradReports’ Salary Score search tool to access over 2,200 school profiles. This allows for a clear comparison of how schools stack up in terms of post-graduate salaries.

There are also rankings based on these Salary Scores to highlight the top contenders. While U.S. News & World Report focuses on reputation to determine the value of a college, we at GradReports focus on proven outcomes – the actual salaries of graduates. Their recently released article, “Pay over Prestige,” delves into the differences between the methodology of our 2021 Best Colleges rankings and the methodology of U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.

 The new Salary Score data can ease some tension for parents and help your children choose a great college That will put them on track to a successful future.