CT grads with highest average salary aren't from Yale

Fairfield University website Fairfield University graduates earn the highest average starting salary in CT.

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A new study from SmartAsset, a New York financial technology company, shows Connecticut's Ivy League university did not produce the graduates with the highest average salaries. That distinction goes to Fairfield University, a Jesuit college with almost 5,000 students.

Fairfield graduates earned an average starting salary of $50,100, just edging out Yale grads who earned $50,000. The remaining top five schools in Connecticut and their average starting salaries were: University of Connecticut, $49,700; Quinnipiac University, $49,500; and, Trinity College, $47,800.

Where Yale has the edge, according to SmartAsset, is its $41,085 in average scholarships and grants for an estimated annual cost of $62,076. Fairfield students received $22,155 towards an estimated annual cost of $57,030. Among the top five schools in Connecticut, UConn had the lowest scholarships and grants at $9,953.

Of the top five schools, Hartford’s Trinity has the highest tuition at $45,730. Yale is next at $42,300. Fairfield is third at $41,690 and Quinnipiac is fourth at $38,000. UConn, the only public university in the top five, is significantly lower than the other four at $11,242. SmartAsset says the average student loan debt is $28,400.

SmartAsset ranks UConn as the best value in Connecticut, weighing factors like tuition and other costs, scholarships and grants, and average starting salary. UConn is ranked 43rd in the nation for value. The remaining top five schools for value in Connecticut are: Yale, Trinity, Central Connecticut State University, and Western Connecticut State University.