Some of the top-earning college students in the US there may not be a Harvard diploma on the wall.
In a recent Business Insider ranking of U.S. colleges with the top-earning graduatesa small Bay Area school focused on health sciences outperformed Stanford and Harvard, as well as the rest of the Ivy League schools.
Meet Samuel Merritt University, a nursing and health-focused private nonprofit university in Oakland, California, with fewer than 1,000 students.
College graduates have an average income of $148,182 four years after graduation, which ranks third in the nation for graduate salary according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, which measures annual figures. earnings after graduation of students who received federal aid, such as student loans or work-study grants.
Student life is more like that of a college in a small town than a college town with a large campus
Samuel Merritt University does not offer on-campus housing, but instead partners with local properties to provide students with discounted housing rates. It also has a food bank that students can access.
Although the student experience is different than that at larger colleges, students praise the sense of community and diversity the school offers.
“My colleagues are committed not only to their own growth, but also to collaboration and support, which has created an environment where I feel encouraged and motivated to do my best,” wrote one senior student on Niche.
Students in the school’s primary nursing bachelor’s degree program incur an average of $20,000 in federal student debt and, upon graduation, have incomes comparable to graduates with liberal arts and sciences degrees from MIT, which ranks first in the nation for graduate salaries across all disciplines.
The school combines high-earning professions with a high-earning location
The Bay Area, which includes Oakland and other communities around San Francisco, has some of the highest median incomes – and costs of living – in the US. MattGush/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Because Samuel Merritt University has a strong focus on nursing and other related healthcare professions, it helps improve its earnings position.
According to the Bureau of Labor StatisticsIn 2025, registered nurses earned an average of $101,420 nationally. In California, the average was $150,280, the highest of any US state.
In addition to the school’s focus on healthcare, its prime location in the Bay Area contributes to its graduates’ high earnings.
With some of the highest costs of living in the country, the Bay Area also has some of the highest incomes in the US.
According to the 2024 Census Bureau, households in the San Francisco metro area have a median annual income of $135,590. American community research. The metropolitan area has the highest median household income of the 25 most populous U.S. metro areas.
Samuel Merritt’s focus on health sciences and the strong presence of its graduates in California’s high-wage health care market likely help explain why its federally supported graduates report higher average earnings than those of some Ivy League schools.
