Liberal arts colleges with the best starting pay 
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Starting Pay
Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.
Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.
Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.
Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.
Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, California
Admission rate: 18%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $32,727
Payback: 2.0 Years
Earnings: $108,988
Vs. state average: + $58,309
Economic score: 0.92
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Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Admission rate: 38%
Grad rate: 89%
Net cost: $42,502
Payback: 2.8 Years
Earnings: $88,154
Vs. state average: + $34,576
Economic score: 1.68
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Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California
Admission rate: 14%
Grad rate: 94%
Net cost: $22,161
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $86,571
Vs. state average: + $35,892
Economic score: 0.87
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Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
Admission rate: 25%
Grad rate: 96%
Net cost: $22,615
Payback: 1.9 Years
Earnings: $86,020
Vs. state average: + $43,036
Economic score: 0.94
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Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania
Admission rate: 36%
Grad rate: 87%
Net cost: $32,551
Payback: 2.2 Years
Earnings: $84,939
Vs. state average: + $31,361
Economic score: 1.40
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College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts
Admission rate: 38%
Grad rate: 92%
Net cost: $37,292
Payback: 2.6 Years
Earnings: $84,653
Vs. state average: + $16,895
Economic score: 2.11
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Colgate University
Hamilton, New York
Admission rate: 28%
Grad rate: 90%
Net cost: $25,834
Payback: 2.5 Years
Earnings: $76,267
Vs. state average: + $20,577
Economic score: 1.83
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Hamilton College
Clinton, New York
Admission rate: 19%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $25,440
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $74,340
Vs. state average: + $18,650
Economic score: 1.54
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Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Admission rate: 10%
Grad rate: 95%
Net cost: $19,184
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $72,637
Vs. state average: + $19,059
Economic score: 1.53
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Franklin and Marshall College
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Admission rate: 37%
Grad rate: 83%
Net cost: $30,281
Payback: 2.6 Years
Earnings: $72,227
Vs. state average: + $18,649
Economic score: 1.96
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Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, Virginia
Admission rate: 60%
Grad rate: 78%
Net cost: $17,804
Payback: 1.9 Years
Earnings: $71,910
Vs. state average: + $28,926
Economic score: 1.16
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Barnard College
New York, New York
Admission rate: 14%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $28,204
Payback: 2.4 Years
Earnings: $71,678
Vs. state average: + $15,988
Economic score: 1.87
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Davidson College
Davidson, North Carolina
Admission rate: 20%
Grad rate: 91%
Net cost: $19,115
Payback: 2.0 Years
Earnings: $71,671
Vs. state average: + $29,600
Economic score: 1.15
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Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Admission rate: 16%
Grad rate: 96%
Net cost: $19,480
Payback: 1.8 Years
Earnings: $71,608
Vs. state average: + $3,850
Economic score: 1.71
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Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
Admission rate: 12%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $18,524
Payback: 1.7 Years
Earnings: $71,567
Vs. state average: + $3,809
Economic score: 1.64
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Connecticut College
New London, Connecticut
Admission rate: 38%
Grad rate: 80%
Net cost: $32,626
Payback: 2.9 Years
Earnings: $71,239
Vs. state average: + $1,679
Economic score: 2.87
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Colby College
Waterville, Maine
Admission rate: 11%
Grad rate: 91%
Net cost: $17,777
Payback: 1.9 Years
Earnings: $71,127
Vs. state average: + $23,861
Economic score: 1.25
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Union College
Schenectady, New York
Admission rate: 42%
Grad rate: 87%
Net cost: $34,779
Payback: 3.0 Years
Earnings: $71,055
Vs. state average: + $15,365
Economic score: 2.35
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Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Admission rate: 52%
Grad rate: 85%
Net cost: $29,452
Payback: 2.7 Years
Earnings: $69,562
Vs. state average: + $15,984
Economic score: 2.09
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University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia
Admission rate: 31%
Grad rate: 83%
Net cost: $25,838
Payback: 3.0 Years
Earnings: $69,310
Vs. state average: + $26,326
Economic score: 1.84
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