30 Colleges That Leave Grads Struggling to Earn $35,000

More than half of Americans don’t think that a college degree is worth the money. Some universities may be giving them a proper reason for that.

The HEA Group, a higher education research organization, recently analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education to determine the income of approximately 5 million former students at 3,887 higher-education institutions across the nation.

They were concerned with which schools’ graduates meet each of four earnings benchmarks:

• More than the federal poverty line (FPL), which was $14,580 for 2023 and is $15,060 for 2024
• 150% of the FPL, which was $21,870 last year and is $22,590 this year
• A $15 minimum wage for 50 work weeks per year, which amounts to $30,000
• The typical earnings of a high school grad, which is about $32,000 per year

The HEA Group also identified the institutions whose graduates are making the least money 10 years post-graduation and those whose graduates earn the most by the same point.

We’ve compiled a list of which schools’ graduates have the smallest salaries after a decade, but excluded institutions in U.S. territories since the federal government defines poverty in these areas differently.

Stay tuned. After we explain which graduates have struggled the most, we’ll show you which schools produced the highest-earners.

For-profit institutions

The HEA Group analysis found the following for-profit schools primarily offer bachelor’s degrees, and the median earnings of their graduates after 10 years are the lowest of all such schools:

1. Nightingale College (Utah) — $22,358 per year
2. Careers Unlimited (Utah) — $24,824
3. Hussian College (Pennsylvania) — $26,472
4. Florida National University — $29,229
5. Nossi College of Art & Design (Tennessee) — $31,180
6. Arizona College — $31,302
7. Los Angeles College of Music (California) — $32,350
8. The North Coast College (Ohio) — $33,627
9. Salem University (West Virginia) — $33,639
10. Provo College (Utah) — $33,676

For-profit institutions don’t have a sparkling history, with problems ranging from a different, less rigorous accreditation process to poorer student satisfaction.

A report from the Federal Reserve of New York found that graduates of four-year for-profit schools have more student loan debt, and are more likely to default, than grads of “similarly selective” public institutions. Graduates of for-profit institutions are also more likely to be unemployed.

Private nonprofit institutions

The HEA Group analysis found the following private nonprofit schools primarily offer bachelor’s degrees, and the median earnings of their graduates after 10 years are the lowest of all such schools:

1. Yeshiva Toras Chaim (New Jersey) — $17,347 per year
2. Southeastern Baptist College (Mississippi) — $19,174
3. Yeshiva of Machzikai Hadas (New York) — $19,345
4. College of Menominee Nation (Wisconsin) — $21,649
5. Yeshivath Viznitz (New York) — $21,742
6. United Talmudical Seminary (New York) — $24,085
7. Naropa University (Colorado) — $24,187
8. Beacon College (Florida) — $24,347
9. Manhattan School of Music (New York) — $24,590
10. Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel (New York) — $25,100

Public institutions

The HEA Group analysis found the following public schools primarily offer bachelor’s degrees, and the median earnings of their graduates after 10 years are the lowest of all such schools:

1. Sinte Gleska University (South Dakota) — $21,742 per year
2. University of Maine at Presque Isle — $28,114
3. Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development (New Mexico) — $30,089
4. Mississippi Valley State University — $30,324
5. Purdue University Global (Indiana) — $32,704
6. Harris-Stowe State University (Missouri) — $33,234
7. Central State University (Ohio) — $33,476
8. Langston University (Oklahoma) — $33,964
9. Alabama State University — $34,018
10. Haskell Indian Nations University (Kansas) — $34,187

The best institutions for graduate earnings

The HEA Group analysis found the median earnings of graduates after 10 years were highest at these schools that primarily offer bachelor’s degrees:

For-profit institutions:

1. West Coast University (California) — $99,806 per year
2. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Washington) — $99,210
3. St. Paul’s School of Nursing (New York) — $98,433

Private nonprofit institutions:

1. Samuel Merritt University (California) — $129,442
2. University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (Missouri) — $129,137
3. Harvey Mudd College (California) — $128,215

Public institutions:

1. State University of New York Downstate Medical Center — $112,739
2. Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health (California) — $107,401
3. Massachusetts Maritime Academy — $99,713