Survey finds North Central College graduates among highest income-earners

Graduates of North Central College earn more income over their lifetimes than peers who graduate from most comparable schools, a new survey finds.

North Central College ranks among the top 15 percent of private, nonprofit schools in the 2011-2012 survey by Payscale.com. The mid-career median salary for North Central College graduates is $81,300, ranking No. 39 out of 303 schools in the private, nonprofit category.

Among all Midwestern colleges and universities—public and private—North Central College ranks No. 35 among 266 schools. North Central College’s overall rank is No. 321 out of 1,248.

North Central College is committed to academic excellence, a curriculum that balances job-related knowledge with a liberal arts foundation, opportunities for students to conduct research and study abroad, and a climate that emphasizes leadership, ethics, values and service.

“The opportunities experienced by North Central College students are in many ways exactly what employers are looking for today,” says Jeff Denard, the College’s director of career development. “Our students have a diverse range of experience that includes exposure to leadership and service opportunities. Combined with the ability to be critical thinkers, good communicators and able to adapt to any situation—those are skill sets that employers in any industry are going to want.”

The database compiled by Payscale.com finds that median mid-career salaries for graduates of more than 1,200 public and private universities nationwide range from about $43,000 to $130,000. Payscale.com compiled the figures by surveying employers. Only graduates with bachelor’s degrees were considered. Employees were considered mid-career if they had at least 10 years of experience and were working full time. North Central College’s Payscale.com profile may be viewed here.

The Payscale.com ranking is the latest accolade for North Central College. U.S. News & World Report ranked North Central College No. 13 in the Midwest among America’s Best Colleges for 2013. The Princeton Review recently named North Central a Best Midwestern College in its annual survey of the nation’s best colleges. The Colleges of Distinction guide called North Central College “one of the best comprehensive liberal arts colleges in the nation” in its 2012-2013 listing. And Forbes magazine named North Central College among the top 25 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities, ranking it among America’s Top Colleges for 2012-2013.