College Scorecard 2018 ranks SJU No. 1, CSB No. 5 in Minnesota earnings category

Here’s some good news for everyone who attends the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.

The 2018 College Scorecard ranks both CSB and SJU among the top nonprofit private and public schools in Minnesota in two important categories – salary after attending college and graduation rate.

SJU was first among nonprofit private and public schools in Minnesota in salary after attending, with $60,600. That’s an increase of $1,500 over the 2017 finding, and $3,800 more than the second-place college, the University of St. Thomas.

It’s the third time in four years that SJU has led the state nonprofit and public schools in Minnesota in salary after attending in various rankings.

CSB ranks fifth on the list, with $52,600. That’s a hefty increase of $2,600 over the 2017 finding and ahead of such institutions as the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Gustavus Adolphus, St. Scholastica and St. Olaf.

Both schools are also ranked highly among single-sex colleges. SJU ranks first nationally in salary after attending college, while CSB ranks eighth among 39 women’s colleges (it is also the highest ranked women’s college in the Midwest).

College Scoreboard defines salary after attending as “the median earnings of former students who received federal aid, at 10 years after entering school.”

In the graduation rate category among nonprofit private and public schools in the state, CSB ranked fourth with an 85 percent graduation rate. SJU was ranked seventh with a 78 percent graduation rate.

College Scorecard defines graduation as “the graduation rate within 150 percent of the expected time to completion (typically six years for predominantly four-year degrees … ) These rates are only for full-time students enrolled for the first time.”