Best Mathematics Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
This page ranks 374 Mathematics programs in the United States by the median earnings of Mathematics graduates four years after completing. Duke University leads the list with median earnings of $297,029 after completing.
Across the listed schools, earnings range from $297,029 to $17,846, with a median of $65,584.
Public institutions make up 70% of the list, with 263 schools compared to 111 private nonprofits. CUNY Hunter College reports the lowest average net price at $2,984.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $297,029 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Duke University reports median earnings of $297,029 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, with 53 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA | $174,951 | $20,111 | -$2,533* | 4.6% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology admits 5% of applicants and its Mathematics completers who borrowed left with a median of $9,751 in federal loans. | |||||
| 3 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $172,826 | $14,860 | -$1,264* | 4.5% |
| University of Chicago ranks 38th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and posts an average net price of $14,860. | |||||
| 4 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $168,580 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
| Dartmouth College, in Hanover, shows an average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 5 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $145,741 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed from Carnegie Mellon University left with a median of $21,750 in federal loans, and the school's Mathematics graduates earned a median of $145,741 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Vanderbilt University · Nashville, TN | $141,171 | $15,846 | $3,414 | 5.9% |
| Vanderbilt University reports median earnings of $141,171 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 6%. | |||||
| 7 | Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD | $134,785 | $18,809 | $428 | 6.4% |
| Johns Hopkins University posts an average net price of $428 for families earning under $30,000 and ranks 70th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 8 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $134,455 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University ranks 8th on this list, with median earnings of $134,455 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Williams College · Williamstown, MA | $134,304 | $17,716 | -$2,610* | 8.3% |
| Williams College admits 8% of applicants and its Mathematics completers who borrowed left with a median of $13,807 in federal loans. | |||||
| 10 | New York University · New York, NY | $129,073 | $37,050 | $16,977 | 9.2% |
| New York University reports an average net price of $37,050 and a school-wide median federal debt of $20,500 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 11 | Georgetown University · Washington, DC | $127,760 | $40,815 | $5,064 | 12.9% |
| Georgetown University ranks 120th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and posts an average net price of $5,064 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 12 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $125,084 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
| Northeastern University reports median earnings of $125,084 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, with 88 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 13 | Swarthmore College · Swarthmore, PA | $125,015 | $23,149 | $7,690 | 7.5% |
| Swarthmore College, a private nonprofit college in Swarthmore, reports $125,015 in median earnings for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 7%. | |||||
| 14 | Amherst College · Amherst, MA | $124,324 | $23,367 | $1,086 | 9.0% |
| Amherst College ranks 14th on this list and posts median federal debt of $13,900 among Mathematics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 15 | University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN | $123,663 | $26,780 | $7,244 | 11.3% |
| With an average net price of $7,244 for families earning under $30,000, University of Notre Dame sits 15th on the page and reports $123,663 in median earnings four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $122,099 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ranks 49th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows median earnings of $122,099 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Fordham University · Bronx, NY | $117,344 | $44,338 | $32,474 | 59.3% |
| Fordham University admits 59% of applicants and reports $117,344 in median earnings for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $117,252 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York posts an admission rate of 4% and a school-wide median federal debt of $21,500 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 19 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · Terre Haute, IN | $112,187 | $42,513 | $36,843 | 76.9% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology reports $112,187 in median earnings for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $42,513. | |||||
| 20 | Southern Methodist University · Dallas, TX | $111,773 | $40,892 | $23,544 | 63.4% |
| Southern Methodist University ranks 20th on this list and shows median federal debt of $20,000 among Mathematics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | Boston College · Chestnut Hill, MA | $111,072 | $41,704 | $4,284 | 16.4% |
| Boston College reports an average net price of $4,284 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $111,072 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Villanova University · Villanova, PA | $109,851 | $43,756 | $17,823 | 27.0% |
| Villanova University admits 27% of applicants and posts median earnings of $109,851 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 23 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $109,146 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $13,138. | |||||
| 24 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $107,072 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
| Northwestern University shows median federal debt of $12,418 among Mathematics completers who borrowed and reports $107,072 in median earnings four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY | $105,768 | $36,228 | $24,078 | 63.5% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reports median earnings of $105,768 for its Mathematics graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 83 graduates. | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Mathematics graduates four years after completing, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled after completing. For 93 of the 374 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. Duke University leads at $297,029, a gap of $122,078 ahead of Massachusetts Institute of Technology at $174,951.
Job market context in the United States
Mathematics graduates in the United States enter occupations such as Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education and Data Scientists. The median annual wage across those occupations is $86,385, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $69,032. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 98,100 openings a year, or about 477 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 5.2% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the broader occupational wage figures described here.
Related rankings
- Mathematics Colleges
- Mathematics Colleges for Social Mobility