2025 Best Colleges for Geology

Academic Highlights: A virtually unmatched 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio sets students up for a personalized classroom experience and an incredible amount of face time with some of the leaders in their respective fields. Sixty-nine percent of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 32% have a single-digit enrollment. Stanford puts immense resources behind undergraduate research; more than $6.5 million in grant funding is allocated each year to support roughly 1,100 student research projects. Close to 900 students study abroad annually through the Bing Overseas Studies Program in 12 international cities.

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries: business development, engineering, and education. Among the companies employing the largest number of grads are Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and OpenAI. A sizable number of newly minted Cardinals dive into the world of entrepreneurship. San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles were the top three US destinations for recent grads. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates pursue one of 58 majors and 59 minors at this world-class research institution. The student-to-faculty ratio is an astonishing 3-to-1, and even with a substantial focus on graduate programs, the class sizes are intimate. Over two-fifths of all class sections have single-digit enrollments, and 66% of courses contain fewer than twenty students. MIT is known for having one of the best formalized undergraduate research programs in the country. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) operates year-round and helped connect 93%+ of students to a research experience with an MIT faculty member. Studying abroad is strongly encouraged; almost half participate.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 saw 49% of its members enter the world of employment and 43% continue on their educational paths. The top employers included Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, General Motors, the US Navy, Apple, Bain & Company, and McKinsey. The median starting salary for an MIT bachelor’s degree holder was $110,000. The most frequently attended graduate schools are a who’s who of elite institutions including MIT itself, Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins.

Academic Highlights: Across all six divisions at Caltech, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 66% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) enjoy wide participation with 90% of undergraduates partaking, and 20% of that group going on to publish their results.

Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2023, the median base salary range was 110k-119k. Forty-four percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 43% of those receiving their diplomas in 2023 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Seventy-four percent of these students were admitted to their top-choice school.

Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools. Undergrads will encounter a mix of large lectures (20% of sections contain more than 50 students) and tiny, single-digit enrollments in seminar-style courses (21% of sections contain nine or fewer students). Plenty of undergraduate research opportunities exist, with many facilitated by the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships; 48% of students participate in research during their time at Berkeley. Over 200 study abroad opportunities are available for those who desire them, and approximately 1,800 undergrads take advantage each year.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 53% of Cal’s Class of 2023 had already secured employment, and 17% were headed to graduate school. The median starting salary was $94,000 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by NVIDIA and LinkedIn. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers. For those continuing their education, most chose to stay at UC Berkeley, with Stanford, the University of Southern California, Columbia, and Harvard rounding out the top five grad school destinations.

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: 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: Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with close to 80% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. That presents a phenomenal opportunity to learn directly from a group that includes four Nobel Laureates, four Medal of Science winners, and two recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Fitting for America’s first research university, 70% of JHU undergraduates complete a research experience while working closely with a faculty member. Each year, hundreds of students receive significant funding for independent projects through the Hopkins Office for Undergraduate Research.

Professional Outcomes: Ninety-four percent of recent graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 69% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 20% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 with top employers including Amazon, DCPS, Deloitte, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Blue Jays pursue further education at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Northwestern, Stanford, and JHU.

Academic Highlights: Classes are rarely small as Mines possesses a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1. The average class has 34 students, and only 18% of sections have an enrollment under twenty. Yet, that does not translate into a lack of hands-on opportunities. All Mines students must take a two-semester sequence of courses called EPICS (Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence) in which they tackle an open-ended design problem as part of a small team. Freshmen also take Cornerstone Design, in which teams of students must solve real-world design problems. In a given year, roughly 125 students are awarded Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowships and work as research assistants on faculty-led projects.

Professional Outcomes: Recent grads landed industry jobs or full-time graduate school positions at a clip of 94%. Companies employing massive numbers of Mines’ grads include Lockheed Martin, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance, Chevron, and Xcel Energy. Those finding employment enjoyed an average starting salary of $76,400. While alums pursuing further education were accepted into Stanford, Columbia, and Northwestern, 56% of grad students chose to continue their studies at Mines.

Academic Highlights: Students work closely with their professors, and the college is routinely rated atop lists of best undergraduate teaching institutions. Small classes are the norm with the average being only 16 students; in 17% of your classes, you will be surrounded by no more than nine of your peers. Faculty-mentored research is embedded into many courses, independent study opportunities abound, and full-time supervised research is available during summer and winter break. Over three-quarters of the student body elect to study abroad in one of 130 programs offered in sixty countries. Furthermore, 70% of students spend a semester studying in another part of the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Target, Epic Systems, Google, Wells Fargo, and Amazon all employ large numbers of graduates. Carleton is a breeding ground for future scholars as a ridiculously high number of graduates go on to earn PhDs. In fact, by percentage, Carleton is one of the top ten producers in the country of future PhDs. Geographically, the greatest number of students remain in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, but many also head to New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Boston, and Seattle

Academic Highlights: An absurdly low 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio does, as you might expect, translate to tiny class sizes for undergraduates. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 32% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Office of Undergraduate Research assists Tigers in locating faculty members with whom they can jointly conduct research in the summer or during a regular term. More than four hundred study abroad programs, internships, and experiences are available in over 140 countries; 61% of students ultimately engage in at least one international experience.

Professional Highlights: Over 93% of a typical Tiger class has found their next destination within six months of graduating. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary reported by 2023 graduates was $89k across all majors. Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school. Tigers typically choose equally prestigious graduate schools to attend. Members of one recent class flocked in the largest numbers to Stanford, Penn, Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge, Columbia, and Oxford in that order.

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. In essence, the guiding philosophy is that students should take control of their learning, pursue knowledge in areas that they are truly passionate about, and learn to integrate and synthesize information across disciplines. Class sizes tend to be small—67% have fewer than twenty students—and 32% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Student surveys reveal an unsurpassed level of satisfaction with the quality of instruction and professor availability. Undergraduates give favorable reviews in those areas at an overwhelming 92-97% clip.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 63% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Meta. 33% of recent graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Alums tend to settle in major American cities, with most living in New York (44%) and Boston (18%).

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: 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: A 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio means that classrooms remain very intimate, and face time with the renowned faculty is a reality. More than three-quarters of UChicago undergraduate sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students. Undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member. A solid 60% of undergrads study abroad at one of the 77 programs offered in 31 cities around the world.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. The most popular employers for UChicago grads include Google, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Meta, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. University of Chicago grads are highly sought after by elite graduate universities. The top destinations for recent graduates are Yale, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, and Harvard A fairly substantial 50% of graduates remain in the Midwest after finishing their degrees, 29% migrate to the Northeast, and 10% make the journey west.

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Academic Highlights: Among its core beliefs, Bowdoin offers a flexible and broad liberal arts education. Polar Bears can choose from one of thirty-three academic programs or get more creative through an interdisciplinary or student-designed major. One-size-fits-all requirements are minimal. Class sizes are small—63% contain fewer than twenty students—and 19% have fewer than ten students. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1.

Professional Outcomes: An examination of three recent years’ worth of outcomes data reveals that one year after graduation, between 73 and 77% of recent grads have found full-time employment, and 15% have gone directly into graduate school. Only 2-8% are still seeking employment. Prominent corporations across all sectors love Bowdoin grads. Recent alumni have found positions at Apple, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Google, HBO, and Microsoft. The cities attracting the greatest numbers of graduates include Boston; New York City; Portland, Maine; San Francisco; DC; and Los Angeles.

Academic Highlights: The university offers 37 majors and 29 minors. With an exceptionally low 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio and no graduate students to attend to, W&L undergraduates enjoy loads of attention. Over 83% of class sections contain 19 or fewer students, Instructors earn rave reviews as 98% of recent grads were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” by the quality of their professors. Students can participate in research via a number of programs, including the Summer Research Scholars Program, which allows undergrads to collaborate with faculty in the field or lab. Studying abroad is common, with 60% of grads spending a semester or summer in a foreign land.

Professional Outcomes: Last year, 69% of recent graduates found employment within six months of leaving Lexington. Companies presently employing more than two dozen Generals including Wells Fargo, EY, Williams Investment Society, PwC, Deloitte, Capital One, Bank of America, and JP Morgan. Starting salaries are solid with the majority of the cohort being paid $55,000 or more while 18% brought home in excess of $75,000.

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: Dartmouth sports 60+ majors and a stunning breadth of course selections for an institution of its size. The learning environment at Dartmouth is extraordinarily intimate. Not only do 62% of course sections have under twenty students, but 20% have single-digit enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is an outstanding 7:1. Undergraduate research opportunities abound with roughly 60% of students participating at some point. Further, close to 90% of those participants report having a satisfying experience working with a faculty member in that capacity. The rate of satisfaction is hardly surprising as Dartmouth’s faculty consistently rates at the top of rankings/surveys regarding quality of instruction. An extensive study abroad program offers 40+ Dartmouth faculty-led academic experiences around the world, and over 50% of all students partake.

Professional Outcomes: A great reputation, along with a passionate alumni network that is 80,000 strong, leads Dartmouth grads to successful transitions into graduate school and the world of work. Recent Dartmouth grads work for Amazon, Apple, Bain & Company, Deloitte, Epic, Google, the NIH, and the Smithsonian Institute. Right off the bat, 56% of graduates earn $90,000 or more in salary. Those pursuing graduate degrees often flock to the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton, with 32% of Big Green grads choosing to continue their education at Dartmouth.

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are on the small side—74% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. The Undergraduate Research Support Office does great work connecting students with opportunities to conduct research, either over the summer or during the regular school year. All told, more than half of undergraduates conduct research. More Duke students pursue a semester abroad than students at any other top ten research institution—roughly half elect to venture off to one of the school’s 300 partner programs scattered around the world.

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 76% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 17% continue into graduate schools, and 7% start their own businesses. Companies employing multiple Duke grads per year include Google, Capital One, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Accenture, and a host of other top-shelf corporations in the areas of technology, finance, and consulting. Eventually, 84% of Duke undergraduates will go on to earn an advanced degree One-third of Duke alumni elect to stay in North Carolina. New York, California, DC, and Massachusetts follow in popularity.

Academic Highlights: The quarter system allows students to take four courses at a time rather than the typical five. Even so, the academic demands are intense, and Northwestern students work hard for their grades. The university has a phenomenal 6:1 student-faculty ratio, and a spectacular 39% of class sections have nine or fewer students enrolled; 76% have fewer than twenty enrollees. Faculty receive generally favorable reviews from undergraduate students and are rated as being highly accessible outside of the classroom. Fifty-eight percent of recent grads had the chance to conduct research with a faculty member at some point during their undergraduate years.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 70% of the Class of 2023 had found employment and 25% were in graduate school. Employers include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Deloitte, McKinsey & Co., and Salesforce. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $77k. The vast majority of Northwestern graduates can be found in Illinois, with the next largest concentration of alums living in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.

Academic Highlights: The school’s 26 academic departments offer 37 majors and a number of concentrations rather than minors. An unparalleled 40% of courses have fewer than ten students enrolled. Many formal opportunities to engage in undergraduate research exist in the summer, during a semester, or as part of one’s senior honors thesis; 40% of students participate in faculty-mentored projects. Over 50% of the junior class connects with the International Education and Study Away program to pinpoint the study abroad opportunity that is right for them. Included on that menu is the opportunity to study at Oxford for an entire year.

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2023, 93% were employed or continuing their educational journey within six months of graduating. Top professional destinations include Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Co., Harvard Medical School, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The median annual income for grads early in their career was $85,800. 14% pursue an advanced degree, with alumni attending graduate programs at Brown, Columbia, and Harvard.

Academic Highlights: Eighteen percent of courses at Bates have a single-digit enrollment, and 60% of classrooms contain nineteen or fewer students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1, and not a single graduate student is present to vacuum up professorial attention. Distinctive features include a mandatory first-year seminar, senior thesis requirement, and a Short Term at the end of the academic year that provides students the opportunity to focus exclusively on one course, field project, internship, or study abroad opportunity.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 91% of the Class of 2023 were either employed, enrolled in graduate school, or otherwise meaningfully engaged in a fellowship or internship. Popular employers included Accenture, Fidelity Investments, Google, Wayfair, and Liberty Mutual Insurance whereas common employment destinations of Bates graduates were concentrated primarily in the Northeast, namely Boston, New York, and Portland, Maine.

Academic Highlights: With a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, undergraduate class sizes are kept small. In the 2023-24 school year, 26% of course sections contained nine or fewer students, and 61% contained 19 or fewer. Undergraduate research opportunities can be found as part of the classroom curriculum, through capstone experiences, or through the Vanderbilt University Summer Research Program; 58% of undergrads conduct research during their four years. Half of all Commodores are adventurous enough to study abroad, and over 80% of those who do say the experience helped them build job skills. The university offers 120 programs in 40 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate school. Alumni can be found in droves at Capital One, Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, VUMC, Amazon, and Bank of America. Among 2023 alumni who directly pursued advanced degrees, the majority enrolled at Vanderbilt followed by Columbia, UPenn, NYU, Harvard, Yale, Duke, and Northwestern. The greatest number of recent alumni stayed in the Greater Nashville area but large pockets also assembled in New York City, Boston, and Chicago. Mid-career median salaries for Vanderbilt graduates are number one in the state by a wide margin; the median figure is $86,000.

Academic Highlights: Smith has 50 academic departments and programs. With only a small number of graduate students to worry about, 19% of undergraduate sections have single-digit enrollments, and 68% of total class sections enroll fewer than 20 students. Nearly half of all students conduct research with a professor by the time they graduate. Around 35% of juniors spend a semester abroad in one of 150 programs, including Smith-created offerings in Florence, Geneva, Hamburg, and Paris.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 72% of alumnae had found employment. More than 25 alumnae can be found at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Accenture. Within 10 years of graduation, 73% of alumnae had enrolled in graduate or professional studies. Recent Smith graduates attended Columbia, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins. Massachusetts is the most popular destination for grads, with the largest number heading to Boston or staying in Northampton. New York is next in popularity, followed by California.

Academic Highlights: Penn State offers 275 majors and a number of top-ranked programs in a host of disciplines. Unlike some public research universities that can have student-to-faculty ratios greater than 20:1, PSU boasts a solid 15:1 ratio. That level of support allows 61% of classes to have an enrollment below thirty students.  Even at such a large institution, it is possible to get involved in undergraduate research. Eberly College of Science professors are running upwards of 3,000 research projects per year, and the school has a well-maintained and up-to-date database of undergraduate research positions. All told, 16% of graduates report having engaged in undergraduate research. 22% of a recent graduating class availed themselves of study abroad opportunities in one of 300+ programs in 50+ countries each year.

Professional Outcomes: By graduation, 79% of Nittany Lions have found their next employment or graduate school home. Over a hundred alumni work at Tesla; Deloitte, Amazon, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Accenture each employ over 500 alumni. Three-quarters of recent graduates employed full-time earned starting salaries of greater than $50k. Penn State graduates mostly settle in the Greater Philadelphia area, with New York City and the Washington DC-Baltimore area also proving popular with alumni.

Academic Highlights: Rather than the typical semester schedule, Colorado College operates on the “block plan,” a series of eight three-and-half-week periods during which students take only one course. You won’t find a more intimate liberal arts college than CC. Classes have a cap of 25 students, and no more than a handful of courses exceed that figure. The average class consists of 16 students. Research opportunities are built into the academic program as 20% of CC classes involve some degree of undergraduate research. Another 6% of students receive stipends to conduct research. Tigers appear unafraid to go into the world and immerse themselves in other cultures as a healthy 74% study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2023, an impressive 96% arrived successfully at their next destination within six months of earning their diploma. Being a small school, Colorado College does not send massive numbers of graduates to any one company or organization, but there are employers that have wrangled their fair share of Tigers. That list includes Adobe, Wells Fargo, CBRE, Amazon, Google, and the Democratic National Committee. Roughly one-quarter of grads stay in the state of Colorado while the majority migrate to major cities across the United States with San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles among the most popular destinations.

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across twelve colleges/schools. Twenty-six percent of sections contain 50 or more students compared to 29% of sections that contain fewer than 20. Still, there are opportunities for personal connections with professors as evidenced by the fact that 80% of graduates complete research during their four years at UW. The study abroad rate of participation has climbed steadily since the turn of the millennium; 3,000 students each year spend a semester in a foreign locale.

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 62% of Class of 2023 grads were employed and 24% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2023 included Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Children’s, and Deloitte. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, most remain at UW itself. Large numbers of 2023 grads also headed to Columbia, UPenn, USC, and Johns Hopkins.

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: Boasting a student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1, Rice offers a spectacularly intimate learning experience. Class sizes are ideally small with 66% containing fewer than 20 students and a median class size of only fifteen. Undergraduate research opportunities abound with approximately 70% of graduates participating in academic research during their four years. Those experiences are open to freshmen through the Century Scholars Program and to all underclassmen through the Rice Undergraduate Scholars Program. Study abroad options are available in over fifty countries, including collaborative programs with some of the top schools in the world including The London School of Economics, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 88% of recent Rice grads have found careers or a graduate school home. Companies that employ many recent grads include Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Google, and Accenture. Over four hundred alumni work at Baylor College of Medicine, and over 200 work at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Across all majors, the average starting salary is $89k. Texas is among the most common destinations for recent grads, but many also flock to San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Chicago.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, and without any pesky graduate students to get in the way, face time with professors is a regular occurrence. In fact, 27% of all classes have nine or fewer students; 70% have nineteen or fewer. Each summer, approximately 120 students engage in high-level undergraduate research with a faculty member. Approximately half of all Hamilton students study off campus for a semester, with some pursuing domestic programs in NYC, DC, or Boston while others take advantage of international opportunities like the school’s own renowned Chinese language program in Beijing or one of one hundred other approved programs around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Examining the 498 graduates in Hamilton’s Class of 2023, an enviable 96% wasted no time landing jobs, graduate school acceptances, or fellowships. Among the employers welcoming multiple recent graduates aboard were Wayfair, Goldman Sachs, Teach for America, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Kantar Consulting, and Deutsch Bank. Other Hamilton graduates have been accepted into graduate programs at Stanford, USC, the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt, and several institutions across the Ivy League.  New York City, Boston, and DC were the most popular destinations.

Academic Highlights: Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 54% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Introductory courses sometimes take place in larger lecture halls, so 24% of courses have an enrollment of more than forty students. Undergraduates do give their professors generally high marks: 88% report being satisfied with the instruction they have received, 48% report completing a thesis/research project, and 53% conducted research with a faculty member. Members of Big Red can choose from study abroad opportunities in more than forty countries, and roughly one-third participate.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 63% entered the workforce, 26% entered graduate school, 2% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 4% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. Graduates earned a median salary of $85,000. Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 13% pursued JDs, 4% MDs, and 25% PhDs. Popular destinations included staying at Cornell, other Ivies, Stanford, MIT, universities in the UC system, or abroad at Oxford, Cambridge, the University of Toronto, or the University of St. Andrews

Academic Highlights: Middlebury offers over 50 majors and the school’s 9:1 student-faculty ratio allows 100% of courses to be taught by professors, not graduate assistants. Most classes are small; the mean class size is 16, and 15% of sections contain fewer than 10 students. The Summer Research at Middlebury program funds 130 students annually to work alongside faculty in a variety of disciplines. Each year, more than 50% of juniors take a semester abroad in one of 75 programs in 40 countries. The college’s robust international program includes Middlebury Schools Abroad in Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 74% of the Class of 2023 had landed jobs and 14% were in graduate school. Google and Meta are now two of the leading employers of alumni alongside Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Amazon, and JP Morgan. More than 100 alumni work in the US State Department and more than two dozen presently work for Apple, Microsoft, McKinsey, and Credit Suisse. New York City, Boston, Washington, DC, and San Francisco claim the greatest numbers of Panther alumni.

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: 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: Being an undergraduate-only institution, Macalester students enjoy the full benefits of the school’s 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is only 17 students, and 16% of class sections have single-digit enrollments. That level of intimacy leads to plentiful chances to be part of faculty-led research, including through the Collaborative Summer Research Program that provides stipends for student-faculty research ventures. In total, 54% of students participate in some form of undergraduate research. Study abroad opportunities, typically twelve weeks in length, are taken advantage of by 60% of Macalester undergrads.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Macalester Class of 2023 had found employment, graduate school, or a fellowship. Employers of recent grads include 3M, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Epic, JP Morgan Chase, Mayo Clinic, and the US Forest Service. Across all sectors, the average starting salary for recent grads was $57,000. Seventeen percent of Mac grads pursue an advanced degree, continuing their studies at Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Stanford, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Lehigh has a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, but classes aren’t as tiny as one might expect with such favorable staffing numbers. The average class size is 28 but, on the plus side, 41% of courses have enrollments of 19 or fewer. Undergraduate research is commonplace, particularly within the engineering school. Each year, 40% of engineering students gain faculty-led research experience. Additionally, 40% of graduates engage in some type of international experience, whether it’s a semester of academic study abroad or a foreign-based internship. Roughly half of those students took courses in one of 250 study abroad programs approved by the university.

Professional Outcomes: Recent grads quickly found their way toward the next productive step in their lives with 95% landing jobs or grad school placements within six months of leaving Lehigh. The average starting salary for a recent grad is $76,000. Top employers include Amazon, Citigroup, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, ExxonMobil, GE, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Merck, and Microsoft, CBS, People Magazine, and the National Institutes of Health. Twenty-four percent of recent diploma-earners head straight to graduate school and enrolled in programs at Harvard, Temple, Columbia, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Rice, and Vanderbilt.

Academic Highlights: Classes are small, especially when considering the school’s legitimate research university status. Seventeen percent of all courses see fewer than ten students enrolled, and 63% have sub-twenty enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1. Across all colleges, 60% of students participate in a research project at some point during their collegiate experience. . A substantial segment of the student body, 40-45%, study abroad, either at Tufts’ campus in Talloires, one of nine Tufts-sponsored programs in locales such as Chile, Ghana, Hong Kong, and Madrid, or one of eighty pre-approved programs around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after earning their diplomas, 96% of 2023 graduates were employed or attending graduate school. Prolific employers of Tufts alums include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Morgan Stanley, and McKinsey & Company. Of the 20% of 2023 grads who went directly to graduate school, 82% were accepted into their first-choice institution. Most Tufts alumni remain in the Boston area, but many also head to New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, DC, and Chicago.

Academic Highlights: Washington State University offers students exceptional academic flexibility with 103 majors and 71 minors, all supported by an outstanding 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio. This commitment to personalized education is reflected in class sizes, where 35% of courses maintain an intimate learning environment with 19 or fewer students, nearly double the number of large lectures (19% with 50+ students). Undergraduates can engage in meaningful research through the Research Scholars program starting as early as freshman year, while global opportunities abound with study abroad programs in 70 countries. WSU’s academic excellence is further validated by its faculty, which includes some of the world’s most influential researchers (top 1% of most-cited scholars).

Professional Outcomes: WSU graduates launch impressive careers with leading employers, including Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, along with regional powerhouses like Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and Starbucks. The university’s career outcomes shine particularly bright in the long term, with alumni reaching an average mid-career salary of $124,000—a testament to the strong return on investment from a WSU degree.

Academic Highlights: Forty percent of sections have an enrollment of under twenty students while 18% enroll more than 50. Plenty of personal connection with professors is available to those who seek it. Structured undergraduate research opportunities are available within every single school at UPitt; the bi-annual Research & Creative Expression Fair features 100+ projects. There are 350 study abroad programs in 75 countries, and many take advantage.

Professional Outcomes: Within a few months of graduating, 98% of 2023 grads entered full-time employment or full-time graduate or professional school. Employers scooping up the highest number of grads in one recent year included the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (208), PNC (67), BNY Mellon (37), and Deloitte (21). The median salary across all majors was $62,127. Pittsburgh, Philly, New York, and DC host the most alumni.

Academic Highlights: Over forty undergraduate programs are available and William & Mary has a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Class sizes are rarely tiny seminars, but 44% do enroll fewer than twenty students, and only 10% contain more than fifty. An extremely high percentage of undergrads study abroad for a semester; by graduation, roughly half of the class has done so, traveling to one of more than 60 countries. Undergraduate research opportunities are widely available.

Professional Outcomes: 53% of recent grads joined the workforce, and 35% entered graduate school within six months of graduation. Over 500 employers snatched up at least one member of the Tribe. Companies hiring at least four recent grads included Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, KPMG, and Deloitte. Many of those opting for immediate entry into graduate school stayed at their alma mater, with other alums attending Columbia, Duke, Emory, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago.

Academic Highlights: WashU admits students into four schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs.The university has a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students; over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. The Office of Undergraduate Research helps students land opportunities to research alongside faculty, primarily in the summers. A solid 60% of undergraduates report participating in a research endeavor and one-third study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 sent 65% of grads into the workforce and 23% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Boeing, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Mastercard, Capital One, and Bayer. Of the employed members of the Class of 2023 who reported their starting salaries, the median salary was $85k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, UPenn, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: With sixteen schools and colleges and 140+ undergraduate degree programs, Texas A&M is a massive operation. Class sizes trend large, but 25% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students and personal connections with professors are entirely possible, particularly through the research-oriented LAUNCH program. A&M excels in facilitating study abroad experiences, sending over 5,600 students to 110+ countries in a typical year, the most of any public university in the United States.

Professional Outcomes: On graduation day, 79% of students had already received at least one job offer or were heading to graduate/professional school. Many Aggies go on to work at major oil, tech, and consulting firms; Amazon, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Apple, Halliburton, and Google each employ more than 500 alumni. Starting salaries were strong—on average grads netted around $65k. The vast majority of graduates remain in Texas with Houston, Dallas, College Station, Austin, and San Antonio top in popularity.

Academic Highlights: UCI offers over eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 54% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 70% of students participate in undergraduate research. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program helps students with proposal writing, developing research plans, and presenting their results at the annual spring UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium and/or publishing their results in the UCI Undergraduate Research Journal.

Professional Outcomes: Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Amazon, Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, Ernst & Young, and PwC. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Google, Microsoft, and Meta. The median salary is $70,000, with School of Information and Computer Sciences grads earning $117k right off the bat. 38% of graduates enroll in graduate school, with many choosing to remain at UC Irvine. The majority pursue master’s degrees (89%), with the remainder enrolling in doctorate programs.

Academic Highlights: There are 140+ undergraduate majors offered at UCSD, and all students join one of eight undergraduate colleges meant to forge flourishing communities within the larger university. While 26% of course sections are held in larger lecture halls and contain 50+ students, 42% of undergraduate courses sport an enrollment under 20. Twenty percent of undergrads assist faculty with at least one research project during their time at the university; Roughly one-third of undergraduate study abroad per year, and over 400 opportunities in 40+ countries are available for those who desire a semester of study outside of the United States.

Professional Outcomes: Employers of recent graduates included Amazon, Boeing, EY, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Qualcomm, and Tesla. More than 1,000 current Google employees are UC San Diego alumni, and Apple, Meta, and Microsoft all employ 500+ each. The median early career salary is $70,000 across all majors, placing the university in the top 10 public universities in the country. UCSD also fares well in measures of its return-on-investment potential.

Academic Highlights: Amherst offers a “New Curriculum” that requires no specific courses or distribution of credits. Students have the flexibility to pursue their areas of passion and interest from the very start of their collegiate experience. With no burdensome requirements, double majoring is commonplace with over 30-40% of the student body electing to study at least one additional discipline. The college encourages students to “take full responsibility for their intellectual growth, in the same way they will take responsibility for important choices later in life.”

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 78% of the Class of 2023 were employed full-time, working for employers such as Bain & Company, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and The Fulbright Program. The average starting salary for Amherst graduates is among the highest-paid liberal arts grads in the country. The schools where the highest number of Amherst grads can be found pursuing advanced degrees include Columbia University, Yale University, and Tufts University.

Academic Highlights: There are 50+ departmental and interdisciplinary majors offered. Eighteen percent of course sections have single-digit enrollments while 65% have 19 or fewer students. In addition, opportunities for participation in research with faculty members abound, and Wellesley students publish their work at a rate that outshines their peers at comparable institutions. The Summer Science Research Program is cited by many graduates as the most influential part of their educational experience. The Office of International Studies facilitates the overseas study of hundreds of students each year with 45% of students spending a semester in one of 180 programs worldwide.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 97% of the Class of 2023 had achieved positive outcomes. Of the 72% of grads who were employed, top employers included Microsoft, BlackRock, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase. Of the 23% of 2023 grads who directly entered an advanced degree program, common schools attended included NYU, Boston University, University of Oxford, Yale, and MIT.

Academic Highlights: A 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to average introductory class sizes of 24 and average upper-level class sizes of only 14.  Faculty-mentored research is a staple of Union’s undergraduate program and is experienced by 80% of the student body in one form or another. During last year’s Steinmetz Symposium, over 400 students showcased their research and 135 students conducted research with a faculty member for an entire summer. The school also takes immense pride in its popular study abroad program, which sees more than 60% of its students from all disciplines spend a semester of study in a foreign land.

Professional Outcomes: 92% of the Class of 2022 (the most recent year that data was available) landed at their next destination quickly, with 70% entering full-time employment and 18% matriculating into graduate school. Union has the largest alumni representation at IBM, PwC, Fidelity Investments, Morgan Stanley, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Bank of America. The 18% of students who immediately pursued further education did so at institutions that included Albany Medical College, Johns Hopkins, NYU, and UPenn.

Academic Highlights: 74 undergraduate majors are available at UCSC. An identical percentage of classes contain 50+ students (27%) as under 20 students (27%). Fortunately, thanks in part to a relatively small number of graduate students (roughly 2,000), there are still opportunities to work side-by-side with faculty. In fact, a commendable 52% of undergraduates conduct some type of faculty-guided research during their four years at Santa Cruz, and the school has pledged to raise that number to 75%. Roughly 15% of students elect to study abroad, and the school encourages all students to take advantage of the well established UC programs situated all around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of earning their degree, 28% of UCSC grads had found employment and 17% started graduate programs. Proximity to Silicon Valley helps open doors to companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Cisco, which all employ over 200 alumni. More than 100 alumni can also be found in the offices of NVIDIA, Salesforce, Adobe, and LinkedIn. Among graduates, the median salary for those in the first five years of their career was $75,600.