Majors
Best Colleges for Applied Mathematics, by Earnings
211 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics, about 4,561 degrees a year. Across the 37 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $85,792 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | MA | $170,689 | 120 | 3.6% |
| 2 | Brown University | RI | $157,822 | 173 | 5.4% |
| 3 | Stevens Institute of Technology | NJ | $156,419 | 77 | 47.6% |
| 4 | Northwestern University | IL | $148,740 | 45 | 7.7% |
| 5 | Ohio State University | OH | $120,495 | 65 | 60.6% |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | $119,839 | 193 | 15.3% |
| 7 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $118,414 | 264 | 11% |
| 8 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | $109,360 | 184 | 33% |
| 9 | Marist University | NY | $109,170 | 17 | 56.5% |
| 10 | University of Connecticut | CT | $104,454 | 68 | 52.4% |
| 11 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | $103,887 | 369 | 9% |
| 12 | University of Southern California | CA | $101,094 | 126 | 9.8% |
| 13 | Colorado School of Mines | CO | $98,190 | 32 | 60.7% |
| 14 | University of Pittsburgh | PA | $95,719 | 35 | 58.1% |
| 15 | University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg | PA | $95,719 | 6 | 95.2% |
| 16 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | PA | $95,719 | 1 | 88.5% |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Stout | WI | $92,803 | 30 | 87.7% |
| 18 | Bryant University | RI | $86,595 | 39 | 65.5% |
| 19 | Texas A&M University | TX | $85,792 | 97 | 57.4% |
| 20 | University of California-San Diego | CA | $85,233 | 132 | 26.7% |
| 21 | Auburn University | AL | $83,741 | 20 | 45.9% |
| 22 | Stony Brook University | NY | $82,200 | 341 | 49% |
| 23 | University of California-Merced | CA | $82,156 | 38 | 90.5% |
| 24 | Robert Morris University | PA | $76,610 | 9 | 89.9% |
| 25 | Rochester Institute of Technology | NY | $76,069 | 34 | 66.9% |
| 26 | Boise State University | ID | $75,336 | 19 | 87.2% |
| 27 | Virginia Military Institute | VA | $74,740 | 6 | 71.3% |
| 28 | Texas State University | TX | $72,464 | 23 | 89.3% |
| 29 | Arizona State University | AZ | $71,317 | 47 | 89.9% |
| 30 | Washington State University | WA | $70,085 | 49 | 86.6% |
| 31 | San Diego State University | CA | $69,606 | 39 | 36.2% |
| 32 | Western Washington University | WA | $68,359 | 16 | 93.3% |
| 33 | CUNY City College | NY | $66,754 | 23 | 60% |
| 34 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | MO | $66,750 | 28 | 72.6% |
| 35 | University of California-Davis | CA | $65,508 | 94 | 41.8% |
| 36 | Coastal Carolina University | SC | $59,208 | 3 | 75.3% |
| 37 | Farmingdale State College | NY | $50,388 | 13 | 63.3% |
174 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Applied Mathematics graduates?
Harvard University ($170,689), Brown University ($157,822), Stevens Institute of Technology ($156,419), Northwestern University ($148,740), Ohio State University ($120,495) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Applied Mathematics majors make?
The median across 37 colleges is $85,792 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $50,388 to $170,689.
Which colleges have the biggest Applied Mathematics programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: University of California-Los Angeles (369), Stony Brook University (341), University of California-Berkeley (264), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (193), University of California-Santa Barbara (184).
Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?
Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Applied Mathematics". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
