A Business Degree from Santa Clara University Ranks Fourth in the Nation for "Return on Investment," According to Data Company PayScale
Deborah Lohse
SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 20, 2015 — A business degree from Santa Clara University ranks fourth in the country for return on a student’s college investment, according to a new survey by PayScale, a compensation-data company based in Seattle.
The College ROI rankings are based on a “20 Year Return on Investment,” measured as the additional salary over 20 years that a graduating student would earn above that of a high-school graduate, after subtracting the cost of the education itself. Santa Clara business majors reported a median 20-year ROI of $756,200, the fourth-best in the nation. The top three were the University of California Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; and Babson College.
Overall, a degree from Santa Clara University ranked in the top 5 percent in the survey for return on investment—coming in 51st out of 1223 colleges or universities ranked by PayScale. Among the 407 private, nonprofit institutions on the list, Santa Clara’s ROI ranked No. 27 (in the top 7 percent). Among 81 California schools, SCU was ninth (top 12 percent).
At Santa Clara University, graduates were calculated to have a 20-year net ROI of $596,200. Grads reported having a typical starting salary after graduation of $56,600 and a mid-career salary of $111,700.
PayScale's data came from its 1.4 million website users, who self-report their salaries and their alma maters. The survey and methodology can be found at www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/methodology.
About the Santa Clara University School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1923, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business, MBA, and Executive MBA programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation by BusinessWeek, U.S. News, Princeton Review, and others. The curriculum at all levels emphasizes the leadership role of business creation in fostering prosperity within an ethical framework, as well as business responsibilities for social justice and sustainability in the global marketplace. The School opened its $49 million building for undergraduate, graduate, and professional business education in Fall 2008. For more information, see www.scu.edu/business/
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, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; 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 Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121