Penn falls behind local colleges in ranking of median graduate salaries

Penn may have produced the most billionaire alumni of any school in the country, but in terms of median salaries, its Philadelphia peer colleges far outpace the University.

According to the United States Department of Education College Scorecard for 2016, graduates of the University of the Sciences and Thomas Jefferson University earn a higher median salary than Penn graduates within 10 years of beginning school.

The median salary for Penn graduates, $79,700, is still higher than the national average salary of $33,400, according to the College Scorecard website. However, Penn still trails Thomas Jefferson University, whose graduates earn a median salary of $86,300, and USciences, whose graduates earn an even higher median salary of $95,800.

USciences graduates earn the highest median salary in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, according to the school’s website. Penn alumni, on the other hand, earn only the fourth-highest median salary. Penn is not included in the top ten ranking of universities in the Mid-Atlantic Region, taking the 22nd spot nationally.

Both schools likely hold a ranking advantage over Penn graduates because of their focus on science and technology.

An article on the USciences news website attributes its graduates’ high salaries to “the University’s practical approach to learning.”

“A credit to the quality of the USciences education, students have a proven track record of graduating on time, landing jobs in their fields, paying back their college loans, and earning top dollar during their careers,” the article says.

The Penn administration appeared unaware of the ranking when asked about it last week.

“When our folks look at http://www.payscale.com it is not the case,” Vice President for University Communications Steve MacCarthy said in an emailed response. He did not reply to follow-up emails asking what Payscale.com data he had been referring to.