A new ranking that evaluates the earning potential of more than 1,400 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. placed Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) alumni among the top of the list as the highest earning graduates of any Oregon public university. Analyzed by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, the results are based on the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard data.
The rankings use alumni data to determine which schools yield the highest salaries, and provides three different lists to evaluate. The first focuses purely on alumni earnings ten years after beginning their studies; the second adjusts for choice of major or program (which differ substantially for STEM and childhood education majors at midcareer); and the final ranking accounts for earnings, choice of major, students’ academic preparation and likelihood of graduate degree attainment.
So, how did Oregon Tech do on all three lists? Oregon’s only polytechnic university placed in the top third on all lists, and in the top 16 percent of all U.S. schools based on median earnings. Oregon Tech tops public Oregon universities on each list, and is the third highest median salary of all Oregon colleges and universities.
- Rank based on median earnings: 232
- Rank based on major-adjusted earnings: 470
- Rank based on earnings adjusted for academic preparation and graduate degree attainment: 443
- Median earning of $50,100
Oregon Tech President, Chris Maples is proud of the new ranking: “The average debt a student incurs continues to rise across Oregon and the U.S., which makes the big picture of earning potential very important to the students who we currently serve, and future generations. We pride ourselves on hands-on education, internships, and externships, which provide our students with a greater chance of excelling quicker within their professions upon graduating.”
This ranking comes on the foot tails of the Social Mobility Index (SMI) from CollegeNET. “The Social Mobility Index measures the extent to which a college or university educates more economically disadvantaged students (with family incomes below the national median) at lower tuition, so they can graduate and obtain good paying jobs,” according to its website. The SMI lists Oregon Tech at #37 out of 931 schools with data collected through sources such as Payscale and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
Other top rankings this year include, U.S. News and World Report #1 Top Public West Regional College, #5 Best West Regional College; PayScale #18 Annual Return on Investment; and Forbes #98 Top Colleges in the West, #527 Top Colleges in the Nation.
For more information about Oregon Tech’s accolades and rankings, visit www.oit.edu/news/university-accolades-rankings. A complete list of the rankings above can be found at https://cew.georgetown.edu/collegerankings and www.socialmobilityindex.org.
About Oregon Tech
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology is the only public 4-year institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Tech provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communication, and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public, and international communities through hands-on learning. Oregon Tech has a full-service, residential campus in Klamath Falls and an urban, industry-focused campus in Wilsonville. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Institute of Technology.
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