WHY IT MATTERS. Minding the Campus recommends an Economix post asking "Do Elite Colleges Produce the Best-Paid Graduates?" Sometimes, not always, but the return on the investment in human capital does not track one-for-one with the initial outlay. In the full survey, Urbana (ranked among Engineering, Party Schools, and State Schools, but not among Clout Schools) reports the highest median midlife salaries among the Big Ten universities, and Northern Illinois comes in just above much more expensive, and much more famous, Reed College. The survey omits salaries to holders of advanced degrees, which leaves the effectiveness of the land-grants and mid-majors at preparing people for the professions for future research.