2026 Highest Paid Finance Financial Management Grads in the Great Lakes Region

[Finance Financial Management](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/finance-financial-management/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 90 schools on the early-career earnings of their finance financial management graduates.
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2026 Highest Paid Finance Financial Management Grads in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools whose finance financial management graduates go on to earn the most.
Highest Paid Finance Financial Management Graduates
University Of Notre Dame tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying finance financial management schools in the Great Lakes Region. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, University Of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of University Of Notre Dame earn a median of about $138,141 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earned it the #2 place for finance financial management. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public school located in the city of Champaign. Students who complete the finance financial management program here go on to a median salary of roughly $118,286.
University Of Wisconsin Madison produces some of the highest-paid graduates in finance financial management, landing the #3 spot this year. University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public school located in the city of Madison. After graduating, finance financial management degree recipients from University Of Wisconsin Madison typically earn about $109,521 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in finance financial management will find them at Miami University Oxford, which ranked #4. Set in the town of Oxford, Miami University Oxford is a public institution. Early-career finance financial management graduates from Miami University Oxford make a median of around $100,641 per year.
Marquette University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying finance financial management schools. Marquette University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee. Students who complete the finance financial management program here go on to a median salary of roughly $101,453.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #6 spot for finance financial management salaries this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Loyola University Chicago earn a median of about $102,491 a year early in their careers.
Michigan State University came in at #7 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a public institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Michigan State University earn a median of about $99,263 a year early in their careers.
Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying finance financial management schools. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bloomington. Finance Financial Management graduates of Illinois Wesleyan University earn a median of about $102,441 a year early in their careers.
Depaul University came in at #9 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career finance financial management graduates from Depaul University make a median of around $91,702 per year.
Ohio State University Main Campus landed the #10 spot for finance financial management salaries this year. Ohio State University Main Campus is a public school located in the city of Columbus. After graduating, finance financial management degree recipients from Ohio State University Main Campus typically earn about $93,666 annually.
City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College came in at #11 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Chicago, City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College is a public institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College earn a median of about $45,261 a year early in their careers.
Oakland University came in at #12 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland University is a public institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Oakland University earn a median of about $91,917 a year early in their careers.
University Of Dayton ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying finance financial management schools. Set in the city of Dayton, University Of Dayton is a private not-for-profit institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of University Of Dayton earn a median of about $86,861 a year early in their careers.
Taylor University landed the #14 spot for finance financial management salaries this year. Set in the rural area of Upland, Taylor University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the finance financial management program here go on to a median salary of roughly $89,044.
Lake Forest College came in at #15 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Lake Forest College earn a median of about $84,573 a year early in their careers.
Ohio University Main Campus came in at #16 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Athens, Ohio University Main Campus is a public institution. Early-career finance financial management graduates from Ohio University Main Campus make a median of around $86,951 per year.
Xavier University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying finance financial management schools. Located in the city of Cincinnati, Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career finance financial management graduates from Xavier University make a median of around $87,381 per year.
University Of Michigan Dearborn ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying finance financial management schools. University Of Michigan Dearborn is a public school located in the city of Dearborn. Early-career finance financial management graduates from University Of Michigan Dearborn make a median of around $84,575 per year.
Elmhurst College earned the #19 position for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, finance financial management degree recipients from Elmhurst College typically earn about $85,336 annually.
Carthage College landed the #20 spot for finance financial management salaries this year. Located in the city of Kenosha, Carthage College is a private not-for-profit institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Carthage College earn a median of about $81,378 a year early in their careers.
University Of Cincinnati Main Campus placed #21 among the highest-paying schools for finance financial management. Set in the city of Cincinnati, University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a public institution. Early-career finance financial management graduates from University Of Cincinnati Main Campus make a median of around $80,523 per year.
Illinois State University came in at #22 for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a public institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Illinois State University earn a median of about $86,558 a year early in their careers.
Purdue University Main Campus landed the #23 spot for finance financial management salaries this year. Set in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Main Campus is a public institution. After graduating, finance financial management degree recipients from Purdue University Main Campus typically earn about $78,926 annually.
Butler University earned the #24 position for finance financial management graduate earnings this year. Butler University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Indianapolis. After graduating, finance financial management degree recipients from Butler University typically earn about $77,354 annually.
Case Western Reserve University landed the #25 spot for finance financial management salaries this year. Set in the city of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Finance Financial Management graduates of Case Western Reserve University earn a median of about $113,341 a year early in their careers.
Rest of the Top 50 Highest Paid Finance Financial Management Schools
These schools also send finance financial management graduates into strong-paying careers this year:
Narrow Finance Financial Management Schools by State
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries finance financial management graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 90 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.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.
More about our data sources and methodologies.