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Actuarial Science

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

Actuarial science majors learn to measure and price risk—the math behind insurance, pensions, and finance. The major blends probability and statistics, financial mathematics, and economics with insurance and risk-management coursework, teaching you to model uncertain future events and put a price on them. Expect heavy quantitative work in calculus, probability, regression, and interest theory, and most programs are built around passing the early professional actuarial exams.

Many students sit for one or more Society of Actuaries or Casualty Actuarial Society exams before graduating, and internships at insurers, consulting firms, and pension offices are a standard—and résumé-defining—part of the path.

What you'll do after college

Graduates become actuaries, risk analysts, and underwriters at insurance companies, consulting firms, pension funds, banks, and government agencies, with many also moving into data science and quantitative finance. Advancement is tied to a series of rigorous professional exams—each one passed typically brings a raise and more responsibility.

The field is famously stable and well-paid, with strong demand and a reputation for low stress relative to other finance careers. The work is analytical and behind-the-scenes—if you like turning uncertainty into numbers other people can act on, it fits.

Famous graduates

  • Robert J. Myers — Longest-serving Chief Actuary of U.S. Social Security and a co-architect of the program; M.S. in Actuarial Science from the University of Iowa
  • Franz Kafka — Literary giant who by day assessed workplace risk and claims at the Workers' Accident Insurance Institute in Prague; doctorate in law

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$89,086
555
100–82%
$97,017
1,127
82–42%
$104,892
559
41–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$85,673
523
400–1180
$100,884
1,184
1180–1350
$104,656
384
1350–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category

$73,452p10 $102,841p90 STEM, Business & Military Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University 20–30% Bentley University · $114,582 Milwaukee School of Engineering · $122,083 Northwood University · $78,820 DePauw University · $102,439 Gallaudet University · $61,949 Albion College · $80,180 Dordt University · $89,504 Carroll University · $74,443 Elizabethtown College · $83,714 Calvin University · $84,312 North Central College · $102,392 Central College · $84,017 Illinois College · $78,021 Lycoming College · $77,222 Roanoke College · $83,457 Wartburg College · $87,485 Elmira College · $78,984 Franklin College · $89,185 Miles College · $62,817 Hartwick College · $79,808 University of Georgia · $105,175 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $109,374 University of California, Santa Barbara · $97,181 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $96,022 University of South Florida · $80,108 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $118,565 University of Central Florida · $91,379 Purdue University · $104,801 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College · $89,776 Ohio State University · $99,239 CUNY Queens College · $73,307 Northern Illinois University · $77,288 University of Connecticut · $95,271 Pennsylvania State University · $91,998 University of South Carolina · $102,774 Georgia State University · $90,173 University of Central Missouri · $87,634 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $97,502 Ball State University · $75,135 Eastern Michigan University · $72,763 University at Albany · $87,453 Minnesota State University Moorhead · $81,842 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $86,111 University of Texas at Dallas · $82,591 University of Louisiana at Monroe · $88,826 University of Delaware · $98,705 University of Michigan - Flint · $79,641 Eastern Kentucky University · $75,056 Middle Tennessee State University · $75,852 University of Louisiana at Lafayette · $79,881 Arkansas State University · $73,164 University of Missouri - Saint Louis · $90,821 University of Iowa · $100,036 State University of New York at Oswego · $79,633 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $111,552 University of Central Oklahoma · $78,568 University of North Texas · $85,184 Morgan State University · $71,539 Ferris State University · $72,767 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $80,160 Michigan State University · $95,897 Central Washington University · $100,882 University of Akron · $81,808 University of Massachusetts - Lowell · $87,117 Ohio University · $87,393 Illinois State University · $94,596 Indiana University - South Bend · $73,872 University of California, Riverside · $81,744 Temple University · $89,402 Iowa State University · $78,620 University of Houston - Downtown · $81,517 University of Cincinnati · $84,114 Arizona State University · $94,410 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $89,134 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $91,325 Oakland University · $85,821 Central Michigan University · $76,058 University of Texas at San Antonio · $84,969 Indiana State University · $73,718 University of Central Arkansas · $75,139 Missouri State University - Springfield · $88,916 Appalachian State University · $97,329 University of Maine at Farmington · $70,461 University of Mississippi · $91,923 Texas Christian University · $107,411 Baylor University · $102,698 Ohio Dominican University · $76,807 High Point University · $93,654 Olivet Nazarene University · $78,184 Faulkner University · $59,226 Brigham Young University · $118,275 Arcadia University · $75,733 Ashland University · $82,445 California Baptist University · $80,163 Concordia University Wisconsin · $81,610 Elmhurst University · $89,829 Assumption University · $89,617 Niagara University · $72,584 Le Moyne College · $75,236 Baldwin Wallace University · $84,988 Lebanon Valley College · $115,298 University of Indianapolis · $87,333 Walsh University · $84,135 Messiah University · $84,561 Grace College and Theological Seminary · $73,367 Otterbein University · $101,231 Siena College · $82,753 Gannon University · $78,731 Xavier University · $93,706 St. John's University - New York · $108,229 DePaul University · $81,102 Brenau University · $77,071 University of Olivet · $66,859 Valparaiso University · $86,254 Bellarmine University · $92,518 University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne · $81,038 University of Tampa · $85,296 Drake University · $125,902 University of the Pacific · $93,161 Bradley University · $103,585 Marietta College · $72,375 Trine University · $87,180 Aurora University · $81,356 Rider University · $76,595 Butler University · $86,004 Robert Morris University · $80,044 Western New England University · $85,482 Maryville University of Saint Louis · $102,841 Roosevelt University · $73,452 Florida State University · $96,504 STEM, Business & Military: mean $105,162 Liberal Arts: mean $82,349 Public University: mean $87,360 Religious University: mean $86,333 Private University: mean $88,713 20–30%: mean $96,504 All colleges: p10 $73,452 All colleges: p90 $102,841
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Actuarial Science 146 2,241 63% / 37% 10% $86,356 97%
Actuarial Science 115 1,157 64% / 36% 16% $87,913 97%
Risk Management and Insurance 33 790 62% / 38% 3% $86,220 97%
Risk Management 7 199 64% / 36% 8% $77,059 96%
Insurance 6 65 62% / 38% 0% $88,544 99%
Insurance and Risk Management 2 14 64% / 36% 7% $89,570 100%
Actuarial and Mathematical Sciences 1 9 56% / 44% 22% $87,453
Actuarial Mathematics 1 4 50% / 50% 0% $81,808 95%
Insurance Risk Management 1 3 67% / 33% 0% $78,820