Best ROI colleges in America
Ten years of reported earnings premium, measured against four years of net price plus earnings forgone while studying.
1,616eligible colleges$45kcomparison earnings
LOWER10-YEAR ROIHIGHER
1Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private nonprofit
+297%+$773,386
2California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA · Private nonprofit
+276%+$673,450
3Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private nonprofit
+274%+$643,772
4Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA · Private nonprofit
+237%+$767,254
5Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private nonprofit
+235%+$479,988
6Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private nonprofit
+211%+$539,546
7Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA · Public
+162%+$370,766
8Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Private nonprofit
+154%+$410,110
9United States Merchant Marine AcademyKings Point, NY · Public
+151%+$308,334
10Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit
+148%+$455,894
11University of ChicagoChicago, IL · Private nonprofit
+144%+$343,840
12Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private nonprofit
+143%+$365,644
13Cal Poly Maritime AcademyVallejo, CA · Public
+141%+$368,530
14University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private nonprofit
+139%+$411,184
15Maine Maritime AcademyCastine, ME · Public
+127%+$348,454
16University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public
+116%+$271,276
17SUNY Maritime CollegeThroggs Neck, NY · Public
+114%+$308,482
18Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA · Private nonprofit
+114%+$336,464
19Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH · Private nonprofit
+112%+$333,184
20West Coast University-MiamiDoral, FL · Private for-profit
+105%+$326,814
21West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange CountyAnaheim, CA · Private for-profit
+104%+$325,454
22Massachusetts Maritime AcademyBuzzards Bay, MA · Public
+102%+$271,992
23Babson CollegeWellesley, MA · Private nonprofit
+101%+$345,544
24Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · Private nonprofit
+100%+$295,810
25Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private nonprofit
+99%+$294,262
26CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · Public
+89%+$170,828
27Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Private nonprofit
+88%+$214,766
28Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MO · Private nonprofit
+85%+$228,286
29Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · Private nonprofit
+82%+$272,790
30Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, NJ · Private nonprofit
+82%+$283,836
The ranking includes currently operating colleges with reported bachelor’s-level programs, at least 500 students and annual average net price of $1,000 or more. It does not model taxes, wage growth, living costs or completion risk.
Best ROI colleges by state
Every state page uses the same data-quality screen and economic-investment formula as the national ranking.
ALAlabamaAKAlaskaAZArizonaARArkansasCACaliforniaCOColoradoCTConnecticutDEDelawareDCDistrict of ColumbiaFLFloridaGAGeorgiaHIHawaiiIDIdahoILIllinoisINIndianaIAIowaKSKansasKYKentuckyLALouisianaMEMaineMDMarylandMAMassachusettsMIMichiganMNMinnesotaMSMississippiMOMissouriMTMontanaNENebraskaNVNevadaNHNew HampshireNJNew JerseyNMNew MexicoNYNew YorkNCNorth CarolinaNDNorth DakotaOHOhioOKOklahomaOROregonPAPennsylvaniaRIRhode IslandSCSouth CarolinaSDSouth DakotaTNTennesseeTXTexasUTUtahVTVermontVAVirginiaWAWashingtonWVWest VirginiaWIWisconsinWYWyoming