By Victoria Hernandez & Daniel Molina, Asst. Editor & Editor
With continually rising costs of a college education, return on investment (ROI) is often considered one of the most important parameters by which high school students make decisions about which institution of higher education they would like to attend.
In 2014 and 2015, Manhattan College was ranked among the top 20 private and public institutions in the United States. According to PayScale’s 2016 annual College Return on Investment Report, Manhattan College is the top Catholic college for earning potential and career readiness upon graduation. PayScale is a company that collects data and specializes in “compensation models that provide better intelligence for companies and employees,” according to their website.
The results of this report are based on the typical income post graduation and the type of employment the graduate gets minus the college attendance cost.
“They [the alumni] take an online survey that asks about their jobs and salary and they are informed if they are paid appropriately in comparison with other people that have their same skills. That data, work history and educational background are the main factors of the study,” Lydia Frank, senior editorial director at PayScale, said.
According to the Manhattan College website, its 20-year net return on investment is $615,000. Following graduation, Manhattan College students earn a typical median mid-career salary (10+ years experience in their field) of $112,000.
A large number of former students are employed in the civil engineering services industry; in fact, it is the most popular job sector for this population.
“STEM careers like Engineering and Math earn higher salaries than Liberal Art students,” Frank said.
Manhattan College alumni and current students maintain strong and healthy relations. It’s because of these connections that results like the one presented by PayScale are obtained.
“We have been following these results very closely, speaking with people from coast to coast […] and what the report is suggesting is that, it’s really our alumni the ones who earn their success,” Thomas McCarthy, director of the alumni relations office, said.
“Success stories are countless” McCarthy said. “The publication [of this report] helps our alumni be more excited about involving themselves in the school, either financially or simply in some of the events we organize to bring them together.”
McCarthy also believes that it doesn’t matter if the college pairs a sophomore and someone who graduated in 1968 together.
“They will still connect in so many levels because they, most likely, had a very similar college experience based on the Manhattan College ideals,” McCarthy said.
The admissions office, in charge of recruiting the upcoming Jaspers follows this data closely. Being one of the most important aspects in the decision making of a high school student and his or her family, the admissions office also uses these rankings to attract more prospects to the Lasallian institution.
“I think students and parents are becoming more savvy about their college selection process because of the cost of college tuition these days,” Caitlin Read, executive director of Admissions and Enrollment Operations, said.