The top ranked university in the United States in 2021 according to Forbes was the University of California, Berkeley in California. Students at Berkeley graduate with an average debt of 6,000 U.S. dollars, but have a median 10-year salary of 138,800 U.S. dollars.
The Forbes rankings are based on five categories: alumni salary, student satisfaction, student debt, four year graduation rate, and academic success.
Forbes ranking of the best colleges in the United States in 2021, by average debt and median 10-year salary
Characteristic
Average debt
Median 10-year salary
University of California, Berkeley (California)
6,000
138,800
Yale University (Connecticut)
5,056
141,300
Princeton University (New Jersey)
3,888
150,500
Stanford University (California)
8,205
147,100
Columbia University (New York)
10,493
132,100
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts)
8,568
158,100
Harvard University (Massachusetts)
5,770
147,700
University of California, Los Angeles (California)
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Forbes. (September 8, 2021). Forbes ranking of the best colleges in the United States in 2021, by average debt and median 10-year salary [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 05, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/220568/forbes-ranking-of-the-best-us-colleges/
Forbes. "Forbes ranking of the best colleges in the United States in 2021, by average debt and median 10-year salary." Chart. September 8, 2021. Statista. Accessed July 05, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/220568/forbes-ranking-of-the-best-us-colleges/
Forbes. (2021). Forbes ranking of the best colleges in the United States in 2021, by average debt and median 10-year salary. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 05, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/220568/forbes-ranking-of-the-best-us-colleges/
Forbes. "Forbes Ranking of The Best Colleges in The United States in 2021, by Average Debt and Median 10-year Salary." Statista, Statista Inc., 8 Sep 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/220568/forbes-ranking-of-the-best-us-colleges/
Forbes, Forbes ranking of the best colleges in the United States in 2021, by average debt and median 10-year salary Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/220568/forbes-ranking-of-the-best-us-colleges/ (last visited July 05, 2022)
