by our College Data Analytics Team
[General Education](/majors/education/general-education/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their general education graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send general education graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in general education, no school beat University Of Iowa this year. Set in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a public institution. General Education graduates of University Of Iowa earn a median of about $58,049 a year early in their careers.
Iowa State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in general education, landing the #2 spot this year. Iowa State University is a public school located in the city of Ames. Early-career general education graduates from Iowa State University make a median of around $59,096 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Clarke University earned it the #3 place for general education. Clarke University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dubuque. Early-career general education graduates from Clarke University make a median of around $49,197 per year.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their general education graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 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.