Caldwell University Makes List of “Catholic Colleges with High Starting Salaries for Graduates”

Caldwell, NJ -June 20, 2013 – Caldwell University has been ranked among a new list of 36 Catholic colleges with graduates who earn high starting salaries. The list was put out by AffordableCollegesOnline.org, which reviewed four-year, fully-accredited private institutions with average starting salaries for graduates of more than $30,000 per year. The website also looked at mid-career salary averages as well as the overall return on investment for the degree.

“We were delighted to learn that we have made this list.  It validates what we know to be true—that we take great interest in making sure our students, upon graduation, are ready to make a difference and make it in the marketplace,” said Joseph Posillico, vice president for enrollment and communications at Caldwell University.

“In this climate of soaring higher education costs, prospective students should know that it’s quite possible to obtain a great education that lands them a well-paying job,” says ACO founder Dan Schuessler. “These Catholic schools provide graduates with the skills and education needed to earn high starting salaries in great careers.”

Colleges in the list meet the following criteria:

•  Four year private US colleges
• IPEDS / Carnegie Classification with religious affiliation of Roman Catholic
• Fully accredited
• Average starting salary upon graduation of more than $30,000 per year

ACO compiled a list of schools meeting these criteria by using the following highly respected, authoritative data sets:

• NCES (http://nces.gov/), the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. It provides consistent, reliable, complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends.
• IPEDS (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/), the primary federal source for data on colleges, universities, and technical and vocational postsecondary schools in the U.S.
• Carnegie Classification (http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/), a framework widely used in the study of higher education, both as a way to represent and control for institutional differences, and also in the design of research studies to ensure adequate representation of sampled institutions, students, or faculty.
• Payscale.com (http://www.payscale.com/about/methodology), the premier salary data collection organization, provides real-time salary survey information that changes daily based on new data. The data is rigorously validated to improve algorithms.

To view the AffordableCollegesOnline.org’s ranking of “Catholic Colleges With High Starting Salaries” go to: