Graduates at these Massachusetts colleges have the highest salaries, according to Forbes

Forbes is out with a new list of "America's Top Colleges" that also shows what kind of salary students can expect to make after graduating.

MIT in Cambridge is the magazine's top-ranked college for a second year in a row, earning high marks for its graduation and retention rates, alumni salaries and return on investment for students. Harvard University is No. 3 on the ranking.

"The Boston schools are really quite strong on this list," Forbes education editor Lisa Chambers said.

Forbes' ranking also breaks down future earnings for graduates. The median 20-year salary for MIT graduates is $131,182 - the highest of any Massachusetts college.

MIT students graduate with an average debt of about $11,000, but the average grant given to students is nearly $62,000. Last year, MIT made tuition free for families that earn less than $200,000 a year, and families making under $100,000 do not have to pay any housing or dining fees, either.

"The tuition isn't super low but they also have a very generous financial aid policy, which helps to keep student debt really low, which is a key part of our calculations," Chambers said.

The second-highest salary belongs to Babson College graduates at $130,610. The Wall Street Journal has put the Wellesley business school ahead of Harvard and MIT on its university ranking, crediting its focus on preparing students for financial success.

"97.7% of our undergraduates who graduate have a job or are in grad school within six months after that graduation, and their average starting salary is well over $77,500," Babson's vice president of enrollment management Ruthanne Madsen previously told WBZ-TV.  

Here's a look at the top 10 colleges in Massachusetts when it comes to the median 20-year salary for their graduates, according to Forbes.

1. MIT ($131,182)
2. Babson College ($130,610)
3. Olin College of Engineering ($127,948)
4. WPI ($125,702)
5. Bentley University ($123,326)
6. Harvard University ($119,708)
7. College of the Holy Cross ($116,914)
8. Boston College ($116,155)
9. Tufts University ($115,684)
10. Northeastern University ($113,530)