Best Colleges for Finance, Ranked by Graduate Outcomes

University of Pennsylvania tops Solyo’s finance ranking: its finance graduates earn a median $202,069 four years after finishing, and 97% of its students graduate within six years. The rest of the top five are Boston College, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas at Austin and University of Wisconsin-Madison. We scored all 400 colleges that award at least 20 finance bachelor’s degrees a year and report graduate earnings, using federal outcome data rather than reputation surveys.

How the score works. 25% graduate earnings, 25% graduation rate, 15% first-year retention, 15% earnings relative to debt, 20% program size, each scored against the other qualifying colleges. Admit rate is shown but not scored. Full methodology.

At a glance

The middle qualifying college’s finance graduates earn $78,031 four years out; every college in the top 50 is above that.
27 of the top 50 are public universities, led by University of Texas at Austin at No. 4, so in-state tuition can buy a strong finance outcome.
36 of the 50 admit at least 30% of applicants: strong finance programs are not only at the most selective schools.
770 colleges award finance bachelor’s degrees; 400 meet the data requirements to be scored.

The top 50 colleges for finance

Colleges ranked by Solyo’s finance composite score, with finance graduate earnings, graduation rate, first-year retention, admit rate, annual finance graduates.
#	College	Grad earnings, 4 yrs	Grad rate	Retention	Admit rate	finance grads / yr	Score
1	University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private · 97% grad rate · 99% retention · 4.9% admit	$202,069	97%	99%	4.9%	398	99.0
2	Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · Private · 91% grad rate · 96% retention · 16% admit	$147,746	91%	96%	16%	426	98.0
3	University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · Private · 95% grad rate · 99% retention · 9.4% admit	$160,313	95%	99%	9.4%	297	97.9
4	University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX · Public · 89% grad rate · 97% retention · 22% admit	$132,075	89%	97%	22%	407	97.2
5	University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI · Public · 90% grad rate · 96% retention · 41% admit	$107,207	90%	96%	41%	463	96.3
6	Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · Private · 95% grad rate · 97% retention · 14% admit	$152,744	95%	97%	14%	223	95.9
7	Tulane UniversityNew Orleans, LA · Private · 86% grad rate · 93% retention · 14% admit	$129,850	86%	93%	14%	311	95.1
8	Washington University in St. LouisSt. Louis, MO · Private · 94% grad rate · 95% retention · 12% admit	$185,551	94%	95%	12%	181	94.7
9	Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH · Public · 88% grad rate · 94% retention · 49% admit	$97,986	88%	94%	49%	813	94.5
10	University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · Public · 90% grad rate · 94% retention · 34% admit	$97,364	90%	94%	34%	544	94.3
11	University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL · Public · 85% grad rate · 95% retention · 37% admit	$119,978	85%	95%	37%	301	94.2
12	University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MD · Public · 89% grad rate · 96% retention · 45% admit	$110,648	89%	96%	45%	389	94.1
13	Texas A&M University-College StationCollege Station, TX · Public · 84% grad rate · 94% retention · 52% admit	$112,319	84%	94%	52%	307	94.0
14	Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · Private · 92% grad rate · 95% retention · 28% admit	$131,996	92%	95%	28%	231	93.7
15	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · Public · 91% grad rate · 98% retention · 20% admit	$106,153	91%	98%	20%	248	93.2
16	Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX · Private · 84% grad rate · 91% retention · 48% admit	$133,852	84%	91%	48%	290	93.0
17	Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · Private · 88% grad rate · 94% retention · 29% admit	$127,210	88%	94%	29%	197	92.3
18	University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL · Private · 84% grad rate · 94% retention · 18% admit	$110,240	84%	94%	18%	256	92.2
19	Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · Private · 89% grad rate · 93% retention · 22%* admit	$145,996	89%	93%	22%*	147	92.1
20	Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TX · Private · 86% grad rate · 93% retention · 48% admit	$111,304	86%	93%	48%	212	91.7
21	Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA · Private · 88% grad rate · 94% retention · 48% admit	$118,737	88%	94%	48%	173	91.5
22	Brigham Young University-ProvoProvo, UT · Private · 81% grad rate · 91% retention · 69% admit	$129,879	81%	91%	69%	198	90.0
23	Miami University-OxfordOxford, OH · Public · 80% grad rate · 90% retention · 75% admit	$110,406	80%	90%	75%	348	90.0
24	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, VA · Public · 86% grad rate · 93% retention · 55% admit	$102,902	86%	93%	55%	294	89.9
25	Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · Private · 87% grad rate · 93% retention · 45% admit	$113,795	87%	93%	45%	284	89.2
26	University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN · Public · 85% grad rate · 91% retention · 79% admit	$98,279	85%	91%	79%	370	88.9
27	Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · Public · 87% grad rate · 94% retention · 42% admit	$91,269	87%	94%	42%	241	88.3
28	University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · Public · 85% grad rate · 95% retention · 42% admit	$97,452	85%	95%	42%	295	88.3
29	Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI · Public · 81% grad rate · 90% retention · 83% admit	$102,017	81%	90%	83%	398	88.2
30	George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · Private · 84% grad rate · 92% retention · 47% admit	$126,638	84%	92%	47%	119	87.5
31	University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT · Public · 83% grad rate · 93% retention · 54% admit	$102,286	83%	93%	54%	288	87.5
32	Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL · Public · 82% grad rate · 95% retention · 47% admit	$84,352	82%	95%	47%	339	87.5
33	Elon UniversityElon, NC · Private · 84% grad rate · 90% retention · 63% admit	$103,426	84%	90%	63%	152	87.4
34	Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · Private · 82% grad rate · 89% retention · 59% admit	$141,860	82%	89%	59%	229	87.2
35	Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA · Public · 86% grad rate · 93% retention · 55% admit	$96,714	86%	93%	55%	449	87.0
36	University of OklahomaNorman, OK · Public · 75% grad rate · 90% retention · 78% admit	$106,719	75%	90%	78%	196	86.3
37	University of DelawareNewark, DE · Public · 81% grad rate · 92% retention · 69% admit	$101,605	81%	92%	69%	356	86.2
38	Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ · Public · 84% grad rate · 93% retention · 65% admit	$100,695	84%	93%	65%	418	86.1
39	Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL · Public · 86% grad rate · 96% retention · 24% admit	$87,089	86%	96%	24%	657	85.9
40	University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · Public · 86% grad rate · 92% retention · 60% admit	$95,087	86%	92%	60%	244	85.8
41	Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · Private · 84% grad rate · 90% retention · 49% admit	$120,274	84%	90%	49%	227	85.3
42	Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · Public · 82% grad rate · 89% retention · 39% admit	$115,013	82%	89%	39%	128	85.3
43	Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI · Private · 83% grad rate · 91% retention · 78% admit	$97,719	83%	91%	78%	175	85.2
44	Baylor UniversityWaco, TX · Private · 80% grad rate · 91% retention · 52% admit	$102,812	80%	91%	52%	181	85.0
45	University of South Carolina-ColumbiaColumbia, SC · Public · 79% grad rate · 92% retention · 56% admit	$92,578	79%	92%	56%	608	84.9
46	James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA · Public · 80% grad rate · 92% retention · 69% admit	$104,926	80%	92%	69%	140	84.0
47	Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · Private · 84% grad rate · 91% retention · 25% admit	$106,663	84%	91%	25%	249	83.8
48	University of Massachusetts-AmherstAmherst, MA · Public · 83% grad rate · 92% retention · 60% admit	$96,995	83%	92%	60%	323	83.7
49	University of IowaIowa City, IA · Public · 75% grad rate · 90% retention · 80% admit	$88,229	75%	90%	80%	395	83.4
50	University of DaytonDayton, OH · Private · 80% grad rate · 89% retention · 66%* admit	$95,925	80%	89%	66%*	186	83.3

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Grad earnings: median earnings of the college’s finance bachelor’s graduates four years after completing, College Scorecard. Grad rate: six-year graduation rate for the whole college. Retention: share of first-year students who return for a second year. * Admit rate from College Scorecard where the college’s Common Data Set lacks one; otherwise from its Common Data Set.

Methodology: the exact formula

Who qualifies. A college is scored when federal data shows it awards at least 20 bachelor’s degrees a year in Finance and Financial Management Services (CIP 52.08), publishes median earnings for those graduates, and reports a six-year graduation rate. 400 of the 770 colleges that offer the major meet all three. We list the top 50.

Score = 0.25 × Earnings + 0.25 × Graduation + 0.15 × Retention + 0.15 × EarningsToDebt + 0.2 × ProgramSize

Earnings (25%): median earnings of the program’s bachelor’s graduates four years after completing.
Graduation (25%): the college’s six-year graduation rate, because earnings only count if you finish.
Retention (15%): the share of first-year students who come back for a second year, a direct read on how well the college supports its students.
Earnings to debt (15%): those graduates’ four-year earnings divided by their median federal loan debt.
Program size (20%): finance bachelor’s degrees awarded in the latest year, a proxy for course depth and recruiter attention.

Each input is converted to a percentile among the 400 qualifying colleges (0 = lowest, 100 = highest, ties share the same value), then weighted. If a college does not report program debt or a retention rate, that input is dropped and the other weights are rescaled. Most graduates go straight into the field, so graduate earnings matter, but completion counts as much: earnings only pay off for students who finish. Earnings stay under a third of the score on purpose: graduate pay partly reflects who a college admits, so a pay-led formula would mostly rank selectivity. Admit rate and any outside ranking are shown but never scored. Earnings reflect graduates who received federal aid and vary with where graduates work, so treat small score gaps as ties.

Why some well-known finance programs are not here

Some well-known schools teach finance as a concentration inside a general business degree. Federal data then counts their graduates under business administration, not finance, so they have no finance earnings figure to score. Some colleges award too few finance degrees for the government to publish earnings for them. Absence from this list is a data gap, not a verdict. For any college, its own page shows every major it reports with graduate earnings; start from the college directory.

A strong program only helps if you get in

Sort these colleges into reach, target and safety against your own GPA and scores, using the same Common Data Set figures behind the admit rates above. The whole list goes in with one click.

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Questions about the best colleges for finance

What is the best college for finance?

By Solyo's composite, University of Pennsylvania ranks first for finance: its finance graduates earn a median $202,069 four years after finishing, and 97% of its students graduate within six years. The rest of the top five are Boston College, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The best fit for you also depends on cost, admission odds and where you want to work.

How is this finance ranking calculated?

Each college gets a score from 0 to 100: 25% for the median earnings of its finance graduates four years after completing, 25% for its six-year graduation rate, 15% for its first-year retention rate, 15% for those graduates' earnings relative to their median federal debt, and 20% for how many finance bachelor's degrees it awards a year. Each input is scored as a percentile among the 400 colleges that qualify, so the score shows where a school stands against its peers. Earnings are capped below a third of the score because they partly reflect who a college admits, not only what its program adds.

Why isn't my college on this list?

Three common reasons. The college may award fewer than 20 finance bachelor's degrees a year, our minimum for a reliable earnings figure. The federal government may not publish earnings for its finance graduates, which happens when a cohort is too small to report. Or the college may teach finance as a concentration inside a general business degree, in which case federal data counts its graduates under business administration rather than finance. None of these says anything about quality.

How much do finance majors earn after college?

Across the 400 colleges we scored, the middle college's finance graduates earn a median $78,031 four years after completing their degree. At the top of this list the figure is $202,069. These are federal College Scorecard figures for graduates who received federal financial aid.

Is admission rate part of the score?

No. The admit rate is shown so you can judge your odds, but it is not scored: selectivity measures who gets in, not what a program does for its graduates. 36 of the 50 colleges here admit 30% of applicants or more.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (program earnings, debt, degrees awarded and graduation rates, loaded February 22, 2026); each college’s Common Data Set (admit rates) . Scores computed by Solyo, updated November 1, 2026. More on reading these figures: how to read college data.