Elena
www.businessinsider.com/colleges-with-high-starting-salaries-2016-9#-9
There are all sorts of tables of graduate earnings on the internet. The link is just one of several.
The overall trend is that the best bet is a STEM degree from a very well regarded university that is very techy, or a mid to upper tier public university, or the Ivy League, but virtually any degree from some universities will put you in a high income tier. This is partly because the requirement of a broad-based coursework for your first two years ensures graduates will have covered many bases and to a very high standard - so you see some graduates with history degrees going into finance, etc. thanks to math course requirements.
Apart from well known universities, some of the best earnings figures come from places like the Colorado School of Mines, Kettering University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Carnegie Mellon - places under the radar of many prospective applicants outside the US (and maybe even within the US). Financial aid for foreign students at many of these more obscure universities will be limited.
Again for US citizens, the armed forces academies are the best bet for anyone because the undergrad degree is basically free. You do have to sign your life over to the armed forces for the duration of your contract though...
The GI Bill is another avenue to university in the US - the armed forces or National Guard pay on a sliding scale for university after varying amounts of active duty, and you get commissioned as an officer upon graduation. You are obliged to give up a certain amount of your time to training and military ed alongside your degree requirements. DS's roommate in his senior year (from a blue collar town whose parents were recent immigrants) was doing a degree in French on the government's dime and anticipating a posting to Europe upon graduation and commissioning. The roommate received a monthly living stipend.
The actual benefit amount will vary based on an individual’s total length of service. For example, those who have served at least 36 months or 30 continuous days prior to discharge for a service-connected disability can get maximum tuition and fees, a monthly housing stipend and an annual stipend for books and supplies. Those who have served at least 90 days, but less than six months, receive 40 percent of the maximum benefit. These benefits are payable for up to 15 years following a member’s honorable discharge or retirement from service.
Another aspect of the Post-9/11 GI Bill is the Yellow Ribbon Program. Colleges and universities that participate in this program contribute additional funds toward educational costs that exceed the maximums allowed by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Institutions may set the amount they wish to contribute, which is matched by Veterans Affairs. This can be very beneficial for students at private colleges and universities, graduate programs or those attending with out-of-state status.
You can also transfer your GI Bill benefits to a spouse, children and step children.
www.todaysmilitary.com/living/paying-for-college
Another avenue is ROTC - Reserve Officer Training Corps. Basically, you sign up for ROTC, put in the time for basic and ongoing training and commit to active duty for anywhere from 3-12 years upon graduation, and you are eligible for scholarship aid that could make your degree free, and you are commissioned upon graduation too. Your contract to serve after graduation is legally binding, but you are paid for your service and you build your CV.
www.bestcolleges.com/resources/rotc-programs/
Ins and outs of ROTC.
www.rotc.armstrong.edu/LinksROTCSchbyState.htm
Some big names where you can do ROTC.
It's a huge pity that there isn't such a system in the UK.
It's worth noting that the history of STEM and tech education in the US in general was driven partly by the armed forces as they developed.