by our College Data Analytics Team
[Hospitality Management](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/hospitality-management/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a hospitality management degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the early-career earnings of their hospitality management graduates.
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If you want to know which schools send hospitality management graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in hospitality management, no school beat James Madison University this year. Set in the city of Harrisonburg, James Madison University is a public institution. Hospitality Management graduates of James Madison University earn a median of about $65,319 a year early in their careers.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying hospitality management schools. Set in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a public institution. After graduating, hospitality management degree recipients from Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University typically earn about $60,111 annually.
George Mason University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying hospitality management schools. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, George Mason University is a public institution. Students who complete the hospitality management program here go on to a median salary of roughly $57,639.
Ecpi University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying hospitality management schools. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Ecpi University is a private for-profit institution. After graduating, hospitality management degree recipients from Ecpi University typically earn about $42,013 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at Tidewater Community College earned it the #5 place for hospitality management. Located in the city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public institution. After graduating, hospitality management degree recipients from Tidewater Community College typically earn about $21,416 annually.
Bryant And Stratton College Virginia Beach ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying hospitality management schools. Set in the city of Virginia Beach, Bryant And Stratton College Virginia Beach is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the hospitality management program here go on to a median salary of roughly $24,848.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their hospitality management graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 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.