Strong Learning and Earning Potential
DELAWARE, OH–A new report lists Ohio Wesleyan University among the Top 20 liberal arts colleges in the nation for salary potential for its mid-career graduates.
The PayScale Inc. report also lists Ohio Wesleyan among the nation’s top colleges—public and private—for earning potential for graduates both five years and 15 years after receiving their bachelor’s degrees. Ohio Wesleyan’s ranking places it first among all private liberal arts colleges in Ohio and first among members of the Great Lakes Colleges Association, a consortium of 13 private liberal arts colleges located throughout Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
The study was conducted by Seattle-based PayScale Inc., a leading online provider of employee compensation data. The “PayScale 2011 College Salary Report” is based on more than 2,500 data points, including salary data for 120 bachelor’s degree majors and from 1,004 U.S. undergraduate colleges and universities.
The study examines the salaries of college graduates who did not pursue advanced degrees. According to PayScale, the median salary for Ohio Wesleyan graduates is $40,300 at five years after graduation and $92,500 at 15 years after graduation. (The earning potential for U.S. college graduates earning advanced degrees is expected to be higher. At Ohio Wesleyan, more than 50 percent of OWU alumni pursue advanced degrees within five years of graduation.)
“A college education provides lifelong opportunities that extend well beyond financial gain,” said OWU President Rock Jones, Ph.D. “At Ohio Wesleyan, we strive to educate students who are able to think critically, communicate effectively, and serve as moral leaders in a global society. But this study helps to highlight the value of a college education and, specifically, an Ohio Wesleyan education. College is an important investment—and one about which students and families should feel comfortable and confident.”
Regarding its methodology, PayScale Inc. states: “All data used to produce the 2011 PayScale College Salary Report were collected from employees who successfully completed PayScale’s employee survey. Self-employed, project-based, and contract employees are not included.”
The full PayScale 2011 College Salary Report, including methodology, is available at www.payscale.com/best-colleges. For more Ohio Wesleyan outcomes information, visit https://www.owu.edu/admission/graduate-outcomes/.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 45 states and 52 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.