The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) has updated its rankings, and Oregon Tech alumni are once again at the top in Oregon for highest-earning graduates of any four-year Oregon university.
The ranking itself analyzes 4,500 colleges and universities—public and private—throughout the U.S. It lists them by net present value (the economic gains graduates realize after paying off college debt) at 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 years post-graduation. Oregon Tech is the top bachelor-granting university in Oregon at 10-year, 15-year, 20-year and 30-year returns. The greatest return from Oregon Tech is shown at 30 years post-graduation when Oregon Tech alumni have a net present value in the top 3% of the nation.
“We attribute the high return on investment to our university’s industry-relevant undergraduate and graduate degree programs and the applied learning model we emphasize, making sure our graduates are ready for their careers on day one,” said President Nagi Naganathan. “Many of our faculty members are accomplished professionals who have practiced in the field they teach and continue to have active connections to practice. In addition, our internship and externship requirements in various programs further help students launch successful careers immediately upon graduation.”
Georgetown CEW first published the rankings in 2019, with Oregon Tech listed as a top university in Oregon. CEW noted that they used an additional metric this time that measures "the share of students at an institution whose earnings 10 years after enrollment are higher than those of workers with only a high school diploma."
“College typically pays off, but the return on investment varies by credential, program of study, and institution,” CEW Director Dr. Anthony P. Carnevale said. “It’s important to inform people about the risk of taking out loans but not graduating, which could leave them without the increased earnings that would help them repay those loans.” 1
The other ranking methodology used by Georgetown CEW is data from College Scorecard statistics. College Scorecard is a tool created by the U.S. government to compare the cost and value of higher education in the U.S.
For more information about Oregon Tech’s accolades and rankings, visit www.oit.edu/news/university-accolades-rankings. A complete list of the ranking above can be found at https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/roi2022/.
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1 Georgetown University CEW. (2022 February 15). At 30% of Colleges, More Than Half of Students Earn Less Than High School Graduates After 10 Years, Georgetown CEW Finds [Press release]. http://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/GeorgetownCEW_CollegeROI_PressRelease_2-15-22.pdf
