by our College Data Analytics Team
[Public Health](/majors/health-care-professions/public-health/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a public health degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 100 schools on the early-career earnings of their public health graduates.
What’s on this page:
The public health program you select can have a big impact on your future earnings. To help, we created our Highest Paid Public Health Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose public health degrees pay off the most.
Read more about our methodology
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Public Health Graduates list, to help you decide. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we have developed a unique tool called College Combat that lets you compare schools on the factors that matter most to you.
If you want to know which schools send public health graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center earned the #1 spot for highest-paid public health graduates in the United States. Located in the city of Houston, The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center is a public institution. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $99,671.
A rank of #2 makes Vanderbilt University one of the highest-paying schools for public health. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Vanderbilt University typically earn about $228,535 annually.
A rank of #3 makes Harvard University one of the highest-paying schools for public health. Set in the city of Cambridge, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Health graduates of Harvard University earn a median of about $203,256 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #4 makes Utah State University one of the highest-paying schools for public health. Set in the city of Logan, Utah State University is a public institution. Early-career public health graduates from Utah State University make a median of around $77,541 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in public health will find them at Arcadia University, which ranked #5. Arcadia University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Glenside. Public Health graduates of Arcadia University earn a median of about $127,682 a year early in their careers.
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Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine landed the #6 spot for public health salaries this year. Set in the city of Erie, Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career public health graduates from Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine make a median of around $195,947 per year.
Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana earned the #7 position for public health graduate earnings this year. Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana is a public school located in the town of Butte. Early-career public health graduates from Montana Tech Of The University Of Montana make a median of around $111,530 per year.
Northwestern University earned the #8 position for public health graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Health graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of about $183,592 a year early in their careers.
Central Michigan University placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for public health. Central Michigan University is a public school located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $70,016.
University Of Scranton came in at #10 for public health graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Scranton, University Of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $69,824.
Illinois State University earned the #11 position for public health graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a public institution. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $83,534.
The University Of West Florida came in at #12 for public health graduate earnings this year. Located in the rural area of Pensacola, The University Of West Florida is a public institution. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $145,561.
University Of Minnesota Twin Cities landed the #13 spot for public health salaries this year. Set in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a public institution. Public Health graduates of University Of Minnesota Twin Cities earn a median of about $138,364 a year early in their careers.
University Of California Berkeley landed the #14 spot for public health salaries this year. University Of California Berkeley is a public school located in the city of Berkeley. Early-career public health graduates from University Of California Berkeley make a median of around $98,041 per year.
Colorado State University Fort Collins came in at #15 for public health graduate earnings this year. Colorado State University Fort Collins is a public school located in the city of Fort Collins. Early-career public health graduates from Colorado State University Fort Collins make a median of around $82,890 per year.
Saint Josephs College Of Maine placed #16 among the highest-paying schools for public health. Saint Josephs College Of Maine is a private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Standish. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Saint Josephs College Of Maine typically earn about $93,687 annually.
Carroll University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public health schools. Carroll University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waukesha. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Carroll University typically earn about $63,762 annually.
University Of California Los Angeles earned the #18 position for public health graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Los Angeles, University Of California Los Angeles is a public institution. Early-career public health graduates from University Of California Los Angeles make a median of around $116,322 per year.
Touro University California earned the #19 position for public health graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Vallejo, Touro University California is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Touro University California typically earn about $63,592 annually.
Shenandoah University earned the #20 position for public health graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Winchester, Shenandoah University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Shenandoah University typically earn about $63,571 annually.
University Of Wisconsin Eau Claire landed the #21 spot for public health salaries this year. Set in the city of Eau Claire, University Of Wisconsin Eau Claire is a public institution. After graduating, public health degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Eau Claire typically earn about $63,000 annually.
A T Still University Of Health Sciences placed #22 among the highest-paying schools for public health. Located in the town of Kirksville, A T Still University Of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career public health graduates from A T Still University Of Health Sciences make a median of around $112,869 per year.
Tufts University landed the #23 spot for public health salaries this year. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Medford. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Tufts University typically earn about $94,217 annually.
Western Carolina University placed #24 among the highest-paying schools for public health. Western Carolina University is a public school located in the town of Cullowhee. After graduating, public health degree recipients from Western Carolina University typically earn about $59,893 annually.
Colby Sawyer College landed the #25 spot for public health salaries this year. Located in the rural area of New London, Colby Sawyer College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the public health program here go on to a median salary of roughly $59,512.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid public health ranking:
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The following schools rounded out the strongest public health earnings:
| Rank | College | Location | Avg Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #51 | Elon University | Elon, NC | $66,896 | Full Report |
These schools earned honorable mentions for public health graduate pay:
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their public health graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
