September 2016

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 5, 2016—  Santa Clara University undergraduate alumni earn among the top 2 percent of salaries nationwide, compared with alumni from other undergraduate universities, according to a recent report from PayScale, Inc.  

Among those who were at least 10 years post-graduation, Santa Clara University degree holders reported a median salary of $121,000, placing SCU 12th out of the 963 schools  in PayScale’s 2016-2017 College Salary Report.  These “mid-career” numbers were higher than those reported by graduates from Dartmouth, Duke, Brown, and Georgetown, to name a few.

Students who received a business degree from Santa Clara University ranked even higher, coming in third, or in the top 1 percent, of 535 comparable schools. SCU business-degree holders surveyed by PayScale received a median $124,000 at their career midpoint, a number topped only by alumni of Georgetown University and UC Berkeley, who tied for first place at $136,000 in median mid-career pay.

"Santa Clara University students benefit from having access to a vibrant employment marketplace and some of the most advanced companies in the world right in their own Silicon Valley backyard," said Rose Nakamoto, director of the Career Center at SCU. "From an impressive spectrum of internships and full-time job opportunities, to our nearly 94,000-strong network of worldwide Bronco alumni -- our students receive a tremendous head start on a thriving career, as PayScale's data has shown."

According to the report, Santa Clara University graduates reported a median early-career salary of $61,900, rising to $121,000 after 10 years or more.  

PayScale is a compensation-data company based in Seattle, WA. The full report, survey, and methodology can be found at http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report.

About PayScale
Cloud software, crowd sourced data and unique algorithms power the world’s largest real-time database of rich salary profiles giving PayScale the unique ability to provide employees and employers alike immediate visibility into the right pay for any position. PayScale’s cloud compensation software is used by more than 3,500 customers including Bloomberg BNA, Cummins, Warby Parker, Clemson University and Signature HealthCARE.  

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations |  dlohse@scu.edu | (408) 554-5121