2025 Best Colleges for Film

Academic Highlights: NYU is divided into a number of smaller (but still quite large) colleges organized by discipline; in sum, there are 270 areas of undergraduate study across nine schools and colleges. For its size, a commendable 59% of classes have an enrollment under 20 students. The school puts a great deal of money into undergraduate research, and it has been running an Undergraduate Research Conference for over forty years. Summer research opportunities are plentiful, including through the School of Engineering’s ten-week summer research program for rising juniors and seniors. With more than 4,000 students studying in foreign countries each year, NYU sends more undergrads abroad than any other US university.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had landed at their next destination, with 71% employed and 26% in graduate school. Large numbers of alumni can be found at Google, Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Meta, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs. The mean starting salary is $76,011. New York is (by more than ten times) the most popular destination over number two choice California. New Jersey, Texas, and Massachusetts were next in attracting the highest numbers of recent alumni.

Academic Highlights: Aided by a favorable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities. Each school/college has a course entitled Directed Research 490 in which students work closely with a faculty supervisor and earn between two and eight credits, countless other opportunities exist to get one’s hands dirty in academic research. Each department has its own slate of study abroad offerings and Maymester programs, which are short-term intensive courses held stateside and abroad.

Professional Outcomes: 93% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The median salary across all majors is an astounding $85k. Presently, between 500 and 2,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, and Oracle. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2023 USC grads include Columbia, UCLA, Pepperdine, and Harvard, with most remaining at USC for their advanced studies.

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80+ majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Undergraduate research is a staple of the Yale academic experience; university-wide, undergraduate research fellowships are awarded to over 100 freshmen each year. The number of Bulldogs electing to study abroad is typically around 70%.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 58% of the Yale Class of 2023 had entered the world of employment and 19% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, McKinsey & Co., Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Microsoft. The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $89,622 ($141k for CS majors). The University of Oxford, Yale, and Stanford were the top three graduate school destinations for the Class of 2023.

Academic Highlights: With 46 majors and 32 minors, Wes truly has something for everyone. The academic requirements are relatively minimal, giving undergrads a high degree of intellectual freedom. 76% of class sections have fewer than twenty students; students rave about the accessible faculty. Research opportunities with professors are plentiful. The undergraduate program for Research in the Sciences funds over one hundred students per year to conduct research over the summer. The university has increased its study abroad participation in recent years to the point that almost 50% of students now spend a semester overseas.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 66% of recent grads had entered employment. The companies employing the highest numbers of recent Wesleyan grads included JPMorgan Chase, Americorps, Citi, McKinsey, Accenture, AlphaSights, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Graduate school was the next stop for 17% of new alums. Those pursuing advanced degrees have enrolled in a wide range of schools, including elites like MIT, Stanford, Berkeley and most Ivies. New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Hartford are the most popular post-college destinations.

Academic Highlights: Emerson College offers 27 distinctive majors, each infused with performance or artistic elements that foster creative expression across disciplines. With a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 70% of classes seating fewer than 20 students, the college ensures personalized attention in its collaborative learning environment. Emerson extends its creative education beyond campus through innovative global programs, including the Global Pathways Program that transforms academic breaks into immersive travel experiences, and partnership programs with Paris College of Art and Franklin University Switzerland that provide international study opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: Emerson graduates quickly establish themselves in creative fields, with 58% securing employment and 9% entering graduate programs within six months of graduation. Alumni frequently join prominent organizations such as WHDH-TV, Nexstar Media Group, The Walt Disney Company, and United Talent Agency. While the majority build their careers in Massachusetts, significant numbers of graduates also migrate to creative hubs in California, New York, and Washington, D.C., leveraging Emerson’s strong industry connections and reputation in media and performing arts.

Academic Highlights: Chapman offers 50+ majors in STEM, humanities, communication, the arts, and business. Overall, 43% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students and the student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1. Students can engage in faculty-mentored projects, apply for funding via programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), and present their work at the annual Student Scholar Symposium. The school regularly receives acclaim for its innovation and the quality of undergraduate teaching.

Professional Outcomes: The Walt Disney Company, Amazon, Deloitte, Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Netflix, and Circle Advertising are the most common employers of Chapman graduates. In 2023. 62% of that cohort had already secured employment by graduation day. Most graduates remain in the state of California, with Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Irvine attracting particularly high numbers of alumni.

Academic Highlights: Close to half of classrooms contain fewer than twenty Bruins, but those taking introductory courses will find themselves in a fair number of lecture halls with a hundred or more students. Professors are given impressively high marks for a research university of UCLA’s size. 93% of College of Letters and Science seniors rate their professors as being intellectually challenging. By the time they graduate, 45% of undergraduates have participated in a research experience. Every year, roughly one-quarter of the undergraduate population elects to study abroad, a sharp increase from only a few years ago. UCLA has 115 partner universities in 40+ countries around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Thousands of alumni can be found working at Google, Amazon, and Apple. Companies that employ over 100 Bruins each include Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, TikTok, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn. Ultimately, one-third of UCLA grads go on to enroll in graduate/professional school, with many choosing to stay at their alma mater. Otherwise, the most attended grad schools are primarily other excellent California-based institutions including Stanford, USC, and Berkeley. For graduates early in their careers, the median salary is $78,600, with mid-career median earnings reaching over $149k. Many alumni remain in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area after graduating; other popular destinations include the San Francisco Bay area and New York City.

Academic Highlights: As America’s first public arts conservatory, this institution offers an exceptionally intensive training environment with a remarkable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students immerse themselves in one of five specialized schools while balancing artistic rigor with academic coursework through the Division of Liberal Arts. With 90% of classes enrolling fewer than 20 students, the conservatory ensures personalized mentorship. Unique study abroad opportunities—available exclusively through invitation-only, faculty-led trips—provide carefully curated global experiences for developing artists.

Professional Outcomes: Graduates thrive in diverse artistic careers, with many building successful freelance practices while others join prestigious organizations like Cirque du Soleil, NBCUniversal, and the Actors’ Equity Association. While a strong contingent remains rooted in North Carolina’s vibrant arts scene, alumni networks flourish in creative hubs like New York and Los Angeles. These career paths reflect the conservatory’s dual success in nurturing both entrepreneurial artists and industry professionals, prepared to excel in today’s evolving performing arts landscape.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio at UC Santa Barbara is a decent 17:1, and the school does an excellent job of keeping undergraduate class sizes on the small side. In fact, more than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer. Undergraduate research opportunities definitely exist for those willing to forge relationships with faculty outside the classroom. A solid 63% of graduates report engaging in some type of faculty-guided research. It’s not as easy to inspire Gauchos to leave their campus paradise for a semester in a foreign land—only around 20% of students participate in study abroad.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 500 UC Santa Barbara alumni currently work at Google, Apple, and Amazon, while Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, AppFolio, and NVIDIA each employ 100+. Early in their career, UCSB alumni make a median salary of $75k; by mid-career, they earn a median income of $152k. Most graduates settle in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, followed by the San Francisco Bay area, and the San Diego metropolitan area.

Academic Highlights: LMU’s 55 majors and 58 minors are taught by faculty heralded for their warmth and accessibility, a sentiment backed by an 11:1 faculty-to-student ratio. Fifty-six percent of courses enroll 19 or fewer students, and 99% enroll fewer than 39 individuals. There are four programs through which students can access on-campus research opportunities, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Each year, a healthy number of undergrads (usually 500+) elect to study abroad in more than 20 different countries including Ghana, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Professional Outcomes: Just 2% of LMU graduates in 2023 were still looking for work six months after completing their degrees. Seventy-five percent had procured employment, 22% were in graduate school, and 1% were engaged in some type of service program. Companies employing graduates include the Los Angeles Lakers, Oracle, Microsoft, NASA, PWC, RCA, NBC Universal, and the Smithsonian. Recent alumni have gone on to further their education in a range of disciplines at Georgetown, GWU, NYU, Stanford, Northwestern, and Notre Dame.

Academic Highlights: UT Austin offers over 170 majors. Sn encouraging 36% of course sections enroll nineteen or fewer students. Opportunities for undergraduate research vary by school, and many student must compete for slots in programs such as Summer Research Scholars or use the Eureka database to find individual professors offering research assistantships. A robust study abroad program boasts 400 offerings in 100+ foreign countries; 4,600+ students participate each year, the third-largest number in the country.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 1000 alumni work in the offices of Dell, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Deloitte; IBM, Meta, Oracle, and AMD employ over 500 each. Graduates early in their careers earn a median salary of $77,400, with median mid-career pay reaching $141,100. Roughly one-quarter of University of Texas at Austin undergraduates go on to pursue advanced degrees after completing their bachelor’s. Many pursue advanced study at UT Austin itself, which offers more than one hundred graduate programs. Many alumni stay in Texas after graduation, settling in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Academic Highlights: Forty percent of classes actually have fewer than 20 students, while 19% of courses enroll 50 or more students. Opportunities to connect with faculty for research opportunities span all majors and fields of study. The school also offers the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship Program, which enables engineering students to conduct paid faculty-mentored research. Over 2,200 students per year participate in the credit- bearing Education Abroad program that offers hundreds of destinations within 60 countries around the world.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving CU Boulder, 83% of recent grads were working or in graduate school. 47% of graduates earned between $50k and $75k, with the greatest number working at Lockheed Martin, Charles Schwab, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and RS&H. More than 100 alumni can also be found at Google, Amazon, Apple, Oracle, and Microsoft. 25% of new grads immediately jumped into an advanced degree program, and 93% were accepted into their first-choice school.

Academic Highlights: There are more than 130 undergraduate majors at the nation’s largest Catholic research university. The student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1 and 38% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students. Special study abroad initiatives like FY@broad cater to first-year students, while Identities Abroad programs focus on diversity and inclusion, providing scholarships to support underrepresented students. The university rates well in the areas of overall value and facilitating social mobility.

Professional Outcomes: 90% of recent graduates found their next positive step in life within six months of being awarded their diploma. 78% were employed earning a modest median salary of $45,000. Sample employers included JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Discover, AbbVie, Amazon, and United Airways, as well as a number of nonprofit entities. Less than 10% of DePaul graduates directly enter graduate or professional school right after completing their undergraduate education.

Academic Highlights: This midsize university offers a diverse array of majors (80+) and minors (60+), and 30% of Emory students pursue more than one area of study. Over half of Emory’s student body works directly with a faculty member on academic research and 58% of courses have class sizes of under twenty students. Studying abroad is a fairly common feature of an Emory education, with 40% of students traveling to one of 100 international destinations.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduation, 59% of 2023 grads were already employed, and 99% had arrived at their next destination. The top employers of recent Emory grads include Epic, NIH, Capital One, Fulbright US Student Program, Amazon, and Deloitte. The average starting salary was $61k.  In the last few years, multiple Emory grads/alums received acceptance letters from the following top schools – Columbia, UPenn, Yale, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt. While a healthy number of Emory grads found employment in Georgia, the top destinations for the Class of 2023 included non-Southern locales in New York City, DC, LA, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Academic Highlights: Despite a high number of graduate students also studying at SU, class sizes are kept reasonably low; 61% contain 20 students or fewer. The Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Engagement (The SOURCE) supports student participation in faculty-guided research via a number of short- and long-term opportunities, many of which are funded. As a result, 250 students engaged in research last summer alone. The university’s office of study abroad programs arranges for 46% of undergrads to spend a semester in a foreign land.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after exiting the Carrier Dome for the final time in 2023, 63% of Orangemen and women found employment (93% related to their career goals) and 26% continued to graduate school. The companies employing the most ‘Cuse grads include major companies like ESPN, Bloomberg, and Creative Artists Agency as well as big-name corporations like GE, KPMG, EY, Lockheed Martin, and Morgan Stanley. The average starting salary for 2023 grads was a solid $63k.

Academic Highlights: The academic experience at Columbia is driven by the famed Core Curriculum that lays out an extensive to-do list that includes highly specified courses rather than categorical requirements. Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 59% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. More than 570 students per year participate in the Columbia Overseas Program. A little over one-quarter of the students leave Manhattan for a foreign country during their four years of study. Undergraduate research is taken seriously by the university, which offers multiple avenues through which students can work side-by-side with faculty on their projects or pursue funding for their own original research ideas.

Professional Outcomes: The companies hiring the largest number of Lions in 2023 were among the most desirable employers in the world including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft. Those moving on to graduate/professional school were welcomed in large numbers into other universities of Columbia’s ilk. In addition to remaining at Columbia (the most popular choice), the top ten institutions attended were Stanford, Harvard, NYU, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, UChicago, Oxford, Princeton, and MIT.

Academic Highlights: Twenty-three percent of sections enroll fewer than 10 students, a reality made possible by an enviable 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students consistently rate professors as being of high quality and committed to undergraduate instruction and Ithaca rates very well nationally according to these qualities. The college is committed to facilitating undergraduate research in all disciplines, and hosts the National Conference on Undergraduate Research which is attended by 3,000 students and their mentors from around the country.

Professional Outcomes: Within nine months of graduating, 52% of one recent graduating cohort had already found their first post-college job and 22% were still seeking employment. Media companies like NBCUniversal Media and Netflix are among the largest employers of Ithaca alumni along with corporations like Fidelity Investments, Deloitte, Amazon, and Apple. More than five recent grads enrolled at nearby Cornell University and multiple grads traveled to Syracuse University, Columbia University, and Northwestern University. The Greater New York City Area houses the highest number of Ithaca diploma-holders followed by Boston, Ithaca itself, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

Academic Highlights: UArizona undergrads can choose from over 150 majors. A 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to a mix of smaller and larger course sections with 32% of classes having an enrollment of under 20 and 16% possessing 50 or more students. Through the Undergraduate Research & Inquiry Collaborative, students can access dozens of research-related resources and opportunities. Over ninety opportunities to study abroad during the year or in the summer are available, including 14 Arizona Abroad program at locations as varied as Madrid, Tokyo, and Bangkok.

Professional Outcomes: In recent years, some of the top employers hiring Arizona grads have been Raytheon, Banner Health, Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, and ADP. An astonishing 92% of employers rate Wildcats as coming to their first job with the skills needed to succeed; One in three students stay in Tuscon post-graduation, with Phoenix and Los Angeles also proving popular with Wildcat alumni.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty is a 17:1, which translates into somewhat larger class sizes. Ten percent of sections contain more than fifty students, and 4% have more than 100. However, that is balanced by the 66% of sections that contain fewer than twenty students. Undergraduate research is taken advantage of by one-quarter of students, and the school plans to greatly expand such offerings in the coming years. An abundance of study abroad choices include special summer programs in Panama, Florence, London, and Valencia, Spain. FSU has 60 academic programs available in 20 locations throughout the world; 2,500+ students per year participate.

Professional Outcomes: Eighty-three percent of job-seeking Seminole grads receive at least one offer of employment within three months of graduation. Thirty percent of seniors found employment through Career Center services at FSU. Employers hiring the greatest number of FSU alumni include Apple, Northrop Grumman, EY, General Motors, and Deloitte. Roughly one-third of recent Florida State grads elected to immediately pursue admission into an advanced degree program; 84% of those who apply receive at least one acceptance. Geographically, the greatest number of alumni remain in Florida but large numbers also relocate to Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, New York, and California.

Academic Highlights: The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) offers students a dynamic academic experience with 90+ undergraduate programs across five colleges, blending rigorous coursework with hands-on learning. With an average class size of 27 and 38% of courses enrolling fewer than 20 students, UNCW fosters close faculty mentorship while emphasizing real-world application through internships, research, study abroad, and community projects. Undergraduate research opportunities span all disciplines, allowing students to engage in meaningful scholarship.

Professional Outcomes: UNCW graduates thrive in North Carolina’s key industries, with 200+ alumni contributing to major employers like PPD, Novant Health, and nCino. Most build careers in the Greater Wilmington region, while others strengthen professional networks in the Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) and Charlotte metro areas. These outcomes reflect UNCW’s success in preparing graduates for high-demand fields through its coastal location, partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, and focus on applied skills.

Academic Highlights: Vassar students have the choice of 50 majors and no general education requirements, which means that there is plenty of room to explore electives and intellectual passions. An 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to an average class size of 17 students, and 27% of all sections have an enrollment of nine or fewer. Professors are extremely available outside the classroom. Vassar’s Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) has been operational since 1986 and offers a plethora of ten-week research experiences. Study abroad programs are taken advantage of by 45% of students.

Professional Outcomes: 93% of alums enjoy positive outcomes within six months of graduation, with 21% enrolling directly in a graduate or professional degree program. A solid number land at competitive companies like Google, Deloitte, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. Elite universities such as NYU and Harvard are also among the top employers of former students, many of whom earn advanced degrees and enter academia.

Academic Highlights: In total, the university offers more than 300 programs of study, 100+ of which are distinct undergraduate degrees spread across 12 schools/colleges. Many classes at BU are reasonably small—59% contain fewer than twenty students; only 20% contain more than forty. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1. The Research Opportunities Program (UROP) funds 650 students per year, and many additional students participate in BU’s research for credit, volunteer, work-study, and other independent opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 94% of recent BU grads have found their way into the world of employment or full-time graduate study. Across all graduating years, companies employing more than 350 BU alums include Google, Oracle, Accenture, IBM, and Amazon Web Services. Of the one-third of grads who move directly into graduate school, many are welcomed onto the campuses of elite graduate programs, such as those at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, John Hopkins, and Columbia.

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges. Michigan sports a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 18% of classes contain 50 or more students, but a solid 53% of classes offer a more intimate experience with fewer than 20 students. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program draws in 1,300 participants each year who partner with 800+ research mentors. For students in all academic programs at Michigan, study abroad opportunities are taken advantage of at high rates. In fact, the university is second in the nation in the number of students it sends to study in foreign lands.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school. The median salary across all majors is approximately 70k. Top employers include PwC, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Citi, Bank of America, and Capital One.  Within six months, 93% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $99k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft employ the greatest number of alumni.

Academic Highlights: There are eleven undergraduate colleges and schools at RIT, and the co-op program is the fourth oldest in the country; most students complete a one- or two-semester paid learning experience. RIT’s 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a genuine commitment to undergraduate teaching lead to a respectable 46% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students, and only 5% of courses contain more than 50 students. Additionally, RIT provides an array of undergraduate research opportunities including the the 10-week Research Experience for Undergraduates program, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium that sees 150+ students give presentations in a given academic year. 600+ opportunities exist to study, work, or research abroad, and RIT has four campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 93% of grads had found employment or a full-time graduate program. Major companies presently employing more than 500 RIT alums include Microsoft and Paychex. Between 200 and 500 employees of Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, and Intel were educated at RIT. The average starting salary was $75,600, which is $12,ooo more than the national average. Class of 2023 grads pursued further education at universities including Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 90 distinct degrees are available across four schools. The university boasts an exceptional 27% of courses with an enrollment under ten and 58% with an enrollment under twenty—quite an achievement for a school of Penn’s massive size. It also offers multiple ways for undergrads to conduct research, whether through independent studies or working side-by-side with faculty members. The university publishes 12 distinct journals featuring original undergraduate research. Penn ranks first among Ivies in study abroad participation rate; each year, over 1,400 students head off to earn a semester’s credit in one of 50 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 76% of Class of 2023 grads were employed within six months of graduating, and 16% were in graduate school. Employers hiring the greatest number of 2023 grads included McKinsey & Company, Penn Medicine, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Goldman Sachs. The median starting salary for all graduates is $100,000. For those continuing their educational journeys, the most popular move is to remain at Penn, followed by Harvard and Columbia.

Academic Highlights: There are 175 programs for undergraduates spread across several colleges. The average undergraduate class size is 21, and the student-faculty ratio is a favorable 13-to-1. The great bulk of courses enroll between 10 and 29 students; 11% are single-digit enrollment courses, and only 2% of sections contain more than 50 students. Full-length study abroad opportunities are offered in locations that include Amsterdam, China, Florence, Rome, and Ireland.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting with their diplomas, 92% of recent grads had found employment or a graduate school destination; 77% were employed. Companies employing more than one hundred alums include Northwell Health, Citi, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, EY, and Wells Fargo. The average starting salary was $72,000. Recent grads have matriculated into a wide array of graduate and professional schools including every SUNY/CUNY institution as well as many elite universities like Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, NYU, and Princeton.

Academic Highlights: Over 100 undergrad programs are offered across nine schools, A noteworthy 92% of graduates report being satisfied with their education while 82% were satisfied with their major. Fifty-two percent of all course sections contain fewer than 20 students, and only 7% of sections sport enrollments of more than 50 undergrads. Study abroad opportunities are vast and include university-run programs in sixteen locations; roughly 40% of undergrads participate each year. Undergraduate research posts are available, with many facilitated by the Office of Research and Community Outreach.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 99% of the Class of 2023 had positive outcomes, with 62% employed full-time and 36% in graduate school. Companies employing 2023 grads included Citi, Bank of America, Jackson Memorial Hospital, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the median starting salary was an impressive $62k. 100+ Canes also can be found in the offices of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. The most frequently attended graduate school is typically Miami itself.

Academic Highlights: All undergrads are exposed to a recently adopted core curriculum that focuses on enhancing students’ metacognitive abilities. Requirements include more than thirty credits of study in courses such as Complex Problems, Quantitative Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Creative-Aesthetic Inquiry, and Written Communication Undergraduate research opportunities are taken advantage of by nearly half of all AU students.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 91% of AU grads have found employment, are enrolled in grad school, or both. Employers include the U.S. House of Representatives, City Teaching Alliance, the U.S. Department of State, and the District of Columbia Public Schools, with graduates earning an average salary of $65,909 within six months. Many of the most popular grad school destinations are only a Metro stop away. George Washington, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and American itself head the list.

Academic Highlights: 45 majors, minors, and programs are on tap, but all students must first make their way through the Oxy Core Program. Oxy offers an enviable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 19 students. Only one class contained over 40 students, and 94% enrolled fewer than thirty. The Undergraduate Research Center facilitates a plethora of hands-on experiences including a ten-week mentored summer program and limitless chances to pursue independent and course-based academic research during the regular school year. At the end of the summer, 125+ students present their research findings. Over two-thirds of Oxy undergrads typically become global citizens through international internships and fellowships or study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Within nine months of graduation, 91% of Occidental alumni are employed, pursuing graduate studies, or volunteering. Among the largest employers of Oxy alumni are the Los Angeles Unified School District, Microsoft, Netflix, Mattel, Skydance Animation, Amazon, Deloitte, and the California Department of Public Health. Most Tigers remain on the prowl in California—mainly LA or San Fran, although there are large alumni clusters on the East Coast, especially in New York City and DC. Starting salaries for recent Occidental grads were $53k.

Academic Highlights: Fordham’s 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to an average class size of 23 students. Some classes will be on the smaller side as 50% of sections contain nineteen or fewer students. Rarely will an undergrad end up in a classroom of more than forty students. A substantial 36% of the student body spends a semester abroad at one of the school’s 125 programs in 50+ countries. The undergraduate research program has awarded 1.5 million dollars to students over the last decade and recently saw thirty-eight undergrads obtain coauthor status on professor-published work in a single year.

Professional Outcomes: Class of 2023 graduates found employment, graduate school, or other meaningful activities at an 89% clip within six months of receiving their degrees. Over half of this group landed employment and enjoyed an average salary of $68,375. Significant numbers of 2023 grads found homes at major companies including PwC (27), EY (24), JP Morgan Chase (16), Deloitte (14), KPMG (12), and Morgan Stanley (12). The greatest number of recent graduates pursuing an advanced degree landed at Fordham, Columbia, NYU, and St. John’s University.