USD grads make least in the U.S.

University of South Dakota graduates earn the least in median starting salary among all 50 state “flagship” schools in the country, according to CollegeMeasures.org.

Recent graduates from Vermillion earn, on average, $35,900. In comparison, the University of California-Berkeley graduates made the most at $53,900, reported CBS News.

Salary information was collected from PayScale.com, a research firm, and was made public by CollegeMeasures.com.

CollegeMeasures allows users to compare state and private schools by criteria like graduate rates, first-year retention and salaries, among a number of other categories.

State flagship universities are normally considered the most prestigious public colleges in each state, reported CBS.

For more information about why USD ranks the worst in the nation for new graduate salaries, check out the April 3 issue of The Volante. The newspaper’s centerpiece will focus on why the average salary is lowest in the nation, and how students feel about this statistic.