The DegreeVerdict College Value Report

What happens when currently operating colleges are compared with the same cost, earnings and payoff framework?

Federal data through June 10, 20262,491 eligible collegesUpdated August 31, 2026Download the CSV ↓

MEDIAN ANNUAL NET PRICE$14,971

Average net price after grants and scholarships, measured across eligible colleges.

MEDIAN YEAR-5 EARNINGS$50,896

Observed federal earnings five years after completion.

POSITIVE 10-YEAR SCENARIO9%

Share with a positive modeled payoff under the same assumptions.

WHAT WE FOUND

Price and earnings both matter, and neither tells the whole story.

Low price can create an excellent payoff even when earnings are not nationally exceptional. High earnings can overcome a higher price. The strongest results combine both, but the model is a comparison tool rather than a promise about any individual student.

Technical and community colleges can appear near the top because their published annual net prices are low. That is a real feature of the input data, but it does not make every institution or pathway comparable. Use the ranking to identify candidates, then inspect credential mix, completion and program-level outcomes.

COLLEGE TYPE

One national median can hide important differences.

These are descriptive medians for colleges that pass the report criteria. They do not adjust for student background, program mix, selectivity or geography.

Public

1,420 colleges

Annual net price: $9,948
Year-5 earnings: $48,649
Completion rate: 41%

Private nonprofit

893 colleges

Annual net price: $23,544
Year-5 earnings: $57,301
Completion rate: 61%

Private for-profit

178 colleges

Annual net price: $25,970
Year-5 earnings: $39,759
Completion rate: 61%

REPRODUCIBLE RANKING

Highest modeled college payoff

Operating main campuses with at least 500 students, valid net price and observed year-5 earnings.

#	College	Annual net price	Year-5 earnings	10-year payoff	10-year ROI
1	Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	$20,111	$148,383	$773,386	+297%
2	California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA · Private nonprofit	$16,075	$136,775	$673,450	+276%
3	Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private nonprofit	$13,807	$132,900	$643,772	+274%
4	Ohlone CollegeFremont, CA · Public	$11,130	$126,289	$588,370	+262%
5	Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA · Private nonprofit	$35,924	$154,095	$767,254	+237%
6	Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private nonprofit	$6,128	$113,450	$479,988	+235%
7	Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	$19,066	$124,581	$539,546	+211%
8	Contra Costa CollegeSan Pablo, CA · Public	$9,490	$103,363	$365,670	+168%
9	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA · Public	$12,116	$104,923	$370,766	+162%
10	Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Private nonprofit	$21,590	$112,647	$410,110	+154%
11	United States Merchant Marine AcademyKings Point, NY · Public	$6,174	$96,303	$308,334	+151%
12	Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit	$31,944	$121,367	$455,894	+148%
13	University of ChicagoChicago, IL · Private nonprofit	$14,860	$103,328	$343,840	+144%
14	Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private nonprofit	$18,809	$107,088	$365,644	+143%
15	Cal Poly Maritime AcademyVallejo, CA · Public	$20,555	$108,075	$368,530	+141%
16	University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	$28,699	$115,598	$411,184	+139%
17	Maine Maritime AcademyCastine, ME · Public	$23,414	$107,211	$348,454	+127%
18	University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public	$13,481	$95,520	$271,276	+116%
19	SUNY Maritime CollegeThroggs Neck, NY · Public	$22,367	$102,795	$308,482	+114%
20	Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA · Private nonprofit	$28,849	$108,186	$336,464	+114%
21	Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH · Private nonprofit	$29,519	$108,126	$333,184	+112%
22	Massachusetts Maritime AcademyBuzzards Bay, MA · Public	$21,582	$98,832	$271,992	+102%
23	Babson CollegeWellesley, MA · Private nonprofit	$40,514	$113,760	$345,544	+101%
24	Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · Private nonprofit	$28,690	$104,057	$295,810	+100%
25	Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private nonprofit	$29,612	$104,271	$294,262	+99%
26	CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · Public	$3,033	$81,296	$170,828	+89%
27	Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Private nonprofit	$15,846	$90,815	$214,766	+88%
28	Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	$21,786	$94,543	$228,286	+85%
29	Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · Private nonprofit	$37,930	$105,451	$272,790	+82%
30	Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, NJ · Private nonprofit	$41,346	$107,922	$283,836	+82%
31	Missouri University of Science and TechnologyRolla, MO · Public	$16,298	$89,551	$200,318	+82%
32	St Paul's School of Nursing-QueensRego Park, NY · Private for-profit	$26,315	$96,734	$232,080	+81%
33	Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, VA · Private nonprofit	$23,781	$94,782	$222,696	+81%
34	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA · Public	$16,665	$89,413	$197,470	+80%
35	Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO · Public	$28,690	$98,029	$235,530	+80%
36	Kettering UniversityFlint, MI · Private nonprofit	$34,660	$102,107	$252,430	+79%
37	New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark, NJ · Public	$16,504	$89,013	$194,114	+79%
38	Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY · Private nonprofit	$36,228	$102,764	$252,728	+78%
39	Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private nonprofit	$23,777	$93,562	$210,512	+77%
40	New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologySocorro, NM · Public	$9,873	$83,712	$167,628	+76%
41	University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit	$26,780	$94,900	$211,880	+74%
42	Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI · Public	$14,182	$85,800	$171,272	+72%
43	University of California, San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · Public	$12,470	$84,593	$166,050	+72%
44	Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit	$36,931	$101,331	$235,586	+72%
45	Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · Private nonprofit	$29,167	$95,985	$213,182	+72%
46	University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI · Public	$13,138	$84,656	$164,008	+71%
47	Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, MA · Private nonprofit	$43,071	$104,714	$244,856	+70%
48	Helene Fuld College of NursingNew York, NY · Private nonprofit	$47,181	$106,863	$249,906	+68%
49	Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT · Private nonprofit	$12,548	$83,319	$152,998	+66%
50	Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · Private nonprofit	$40,815	$101,620	$222,940	+65%

Want to inspect every eligible college? Download the complete CSV.

EXPLORE LOCALLY

Compare college value in every state

Each state page uses the same definitions, shows every covered college and offers a downloadable dataset.

METHODOLOGY

How the comparison works

Include currently operating main campuses with at least 500 students.
Require an annual average net price between $1,000 and $100,000.
Require observed year-5 earnings between $10,000 and $300,000.
Apply the same published DegreeVerdict ten-year payoff scenario to every college.
Do not substitute zero for missing or privacy-suppressed values.

Average net price is institution-wide and differs by family income. Earnings describe past federal cohorts. The model does not adjust for selection, completion risk, taxes, inflation, wage growth or nonfinancial benefits.

Read the complete methodology →Review the official sources →See the quality report →