The 25 private colleges where students go on to earn the most money

Harvard University
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ranked second. REUTERS

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Sticker prices on private colleges and universities tend to be steeper than public schools.

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The average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015-16 school year was $32,405 at private colleges in the US, while public universities cost an average of $23,893. For state residents at public colleges, average tuition and fees added up to just $9,410, according to the College Board.

Is the prestige of attending a private school worth it in the long run? We looked at a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, which breaks down the median earnings of students from over 1,400 colleges 10 years after starting their studies, using data from the US Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Here, we've highlighted the 25 private colleges in the US where graduates go on to earn the most money, as well as how much students pay annually between tuition, required fees, room, and board.

Read on to see if your alma mater, or current school, made the list:

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25. Fairfield University

fairfield university
Wikimedia Commons

Fairfield, Connecticut

Annual cost: $58,625

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,000

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24. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University/Facebook

Baltimore, Maryland

Annual cost: $63,750

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,200

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23. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame University
University Of Notre Dame Campus Wikimedia Commons

Notre Dame, Indiana

Annual cost: $61,775

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,400

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22. Lafayette College

Lafayette College
Facebook/LafayetteCollege.edu

Easton, Pennsylvania

Annual cost: $61,680

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $69,800

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21. Cornell University

cornell
Cornell University campus http://www.cornell.edu/visit/

Ithaca, New York

Annual cost: $62,794

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $70,900

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20. Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University Campus Students Hamerschlag Hall
Via Wikimedia Commons

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Annual cost: $63,495

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $72,000

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19. Columbia University

Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York/Facebook

New York, New York

Annual cost: $66,383

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $72,900

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18. Polytechnic Institute of New York University

nyu poly
GK tramrunner229/Wikimedia

Brooklyn, New York

Annual cost: $69,272

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $73,500

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17. Villanova University

Villanova University
Facebook/VillanovaU

Villanova, Pennsylvania

Annual cost: $60,323

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $73,700

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16. California Institute of Technology

Cal Tech Campus California Institute Technology
Via Flickr

Pasadena, California

Annual cost: $58,761

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,000

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15. Kettering University

kettering university
Bryan Duggan/Wikimedia

Flint, Michigan

Annual cost: $45,940

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,900

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14. Bentley University

Bentley University students
Facebook/bentleyuniversity

Waltham, Massachusetts

Annual cost: $58,605

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,900

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13. Princeton University

People walk around the Princeton University campus in New Jersey, November 16, 2013.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Students walk around the Princeton University campus in New Jersey Thomson Reuters

Princeton, New Jersey

Annual cost: $59,870

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $75,100

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12. Duke University

Duke University students
Duke University/Facebook

Durham, North Carolina

Annual cost: $64,188

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,700

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11. Lehigh University

Lehigh University Linderman Library
Via Wikimedia Commons

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Annual cost: $58,510

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,800

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10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WorcecsterPolytechnicInstitute/Facebook

Worcester, Massachusetts

Annual cost: $61,060

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,600

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9. Washington and Lee University

washington and lee university
Taber Andrew Bain/flickr

Lexington, Virginia

Annual cost: $59,632

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,600

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8. University of Pennsylvania

University Pennsylvania Quad Campus
Via Wikimedia Commons

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Annual cost: $63,526

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $78,200

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7. Harvey Mudd College

Harvey Mudd College Campus
Via Wikimedia Commons

Claremont, California

Annual cost: $67,255

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $78,600

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6. Stanford University

Stanford University Campus Students
Via Flickr

Stanford, California

Annual cost: $60,427

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $80,900

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5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

RPI, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Wikimedia Commons

Troy, New York

Annual cost: $63,436

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $81,700

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4. Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens Institute of Technology
City of Hoboken/flickr

Hoboken, New Jersey

Annual cost: $62,699

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $82,800

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3. Georgetown University

Georgetown University Law Campus
Wikimedia Commons

Washington, DC

Annual cost: $63,594

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $83,300

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2. Harvard University

Harvard University
REUTERS

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Annual cost: $60,659

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $87,200

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1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute Technology MIT Killian Court Great Dome Campus
Via Flickr

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Annual cost: $60,434

Median earnings 10 years after enrolling: $91,600

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