20 Universities with Highest Return on Investment

Bloomberg Businessweek and  PayScale created this new rankings system -“What’s Your College Degree Worth?”

What is Return on Investment from the money spent on your college education?

MIT Dome – Campus

We have looked at several rankings, but this ranking of colleges and universities based on Return on Investment (ROI) is new and unique.

ROI is a function of two things:

• how much did you spend for  getting your college degree
• how much you would earn over the course the careers

PayScale, collects salary data from workers who use their online pay comparison tools.

After analyzing 1.4 million salary reports and information on college costs, ROI was calculates.

Along with other factors like Financial Aid and other factors.

Data: PayScale, Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System, College Board, Bloomberg Businessweek research.

• Total number of colleges Ranked –  1052.

California Institute of Technology tops the rankings with highest ROI of all the colleges and universities in USA.

• Sticker Price – Sticker Price is the total cost of attendance (tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies)
• Net Cost –  subtracts from that amount the average local, state, federal, and institutional grant aid awarded to full-time, first-time undergraduates.

View  additional  pages to look at rankings data.

California – California Institute of Technology

CIT – Logo

• School type: Private research — engineering
• Applicants admitted: 13 percent
• Most popular majors: Engineering (34 percent), physical sciences (25 percent), mathematics (18 percent)
• Campus setting:      City: Midsize
• Student population:      2,175 (967 undergraduate)

The Payout

• Sticker price: $198,700
• Net cost: $91,250
• Average annual financial aid package: $25,439

The Payoff

• National ROI rank: 1
• 30-year net return on investment: $1,809,000
• 30-year net return for graduates only: $2,033,000

Followed by

Harvey Mudd College (National Rank #2)
Stanford University (National Rank #5)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• School Type: Private Research—Engineering
• Applicants Admitted: 10 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Engineering (38 percent), Computer/Information Sciences (13 percent), Biology (11 percent)
• Campus setting:      City: Midsize
• Student population:      10,566 (4,299 undergraduate)

The Payout

• Sticker Price: $201,000
• Net Cost: $72,560
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $31,344
• Undergraduates Receiving Aid: 65 percent

The Payoff

• National ROI Rank: 3
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,635,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,797,000

Best College Return on Investment: New Jersey

Princeton University

• School Type: Private Research—Ivy League
• Applicants Admitted: 9%
• Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (24 percent), Engineering (19 percent), Biology (8 percent)
• Student population:      7,724 (5,142 undergraduate)

The Payout

• Sticker Price: $198,700
• Net Cost: $66,270
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $32,449

The Payoff

• National ROI Rank: 4
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,623,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,673,000

Best College Return on Investment: New Hampshire

Dartmouth College

• School Type: Private Research—Ivy League
• Applicants Admitted: 12%
• Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (31 percent), Biology (11 percent), History (7 percent), Psychology (7 percent)
• Campus setting:      Town: Remote
• Student population:      6,141 (4,248 undergraduate)

The Payout

• Sticker Price: $202,300
• Net Cost: $72,850
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $31,536
• National ROI Rank: 6
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,599,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,701,000

Best College Return on Investment: North Carolina

Duke University

• School Type: Private Research
• Applicants Admitted: 19 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (27 percent), Engineering (17 percent), Psychology (11 percent)
• Campus setting:      City: Midsize
• Student population:      15,016 (6,697 undergraduate)

The Payout

• Sticker Price: $201,300
• Net Cost: $85,100
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $28,455

The Payoff

• National ROI Rank: 7
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,529,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,609,000

Best College Return on Investment: Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

• School Type: Private Research—Ivy League
• Applicants Admitted: 14 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Business/Marketing (22 percent), Social Sciences (15 percent), Engineering (12 percent)
• Sticker Price: $203,900
• Net Cost: $80,210
• Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $53,250
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $30,288
• National ROI Rank: 9
• Graduation Rate: 95 percent
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,473,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,551,000

Best College Return on Investment: Indiana

University of Notre Dame

• School Type: Private Research
• Applicants Admitted: 29 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Business/Marketing (24 percent), Social Sciences (16 percent), Engineering (10 percent)
• Sticker Price: $194,500
• Net Cost: $94,120
• Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $51,297
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $24,637
• National ROI Rank: 10
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,452,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,513,000

Yale University

• School Type: Private Research—Ivy League
• Applicants Admitted: 8%
  Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (27 percent), History (11 percent), Interdisciplinary Studies (9 percent)
• Sticker Price: $207,000
• Net Cost: $69,030
• Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $52,950
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $33,714
• National ROI Rank: 12
• Graduation Rate: 98 percent
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,299,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,326,000

Best College Return on Investment: New York

Columbia University

• School Type: Private Research—Ivy League
• Applicants Admitted: 10 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (25 percent), Engineering (21 percent), Biology (9 percent)
• Sticker Price: $207,000
• Net Cost: $70,030
• Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $54,294
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $33,274
• National ROI Rank: 14
• 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,286,000
• 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,383,000

Best College Return on Investment: Georgia

Georgia: Georgia Institute of Technology

• School Type: Public—Engineering
• Applicants Admitted: 52 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Engineering (58 percent), Business/Marketing (14 percent), Computer/Information Sciences (6 percent)
• Sticker Price: $77,980 (in-state), $157,100 (out-of-state)
• Net Cost: $39,390 (in-state), $118,500 (out-of-state)
• Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $18,210 (in-state), $36,420 (out-of-state)
• Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $8,195
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 23 (in-state), 29 (out-of-state)
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,159,000
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,467,000

Texas – Rice University

• School Type: Private Research
• Applicants Admitted: 21%
• Most Popular Majors: Engineering (17 percent), Social Sciences (17 percent), Biology (8 percent)
• The Payout
  • Sticker Price: $174,000
  • Net Cost: $68,680
  • Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $45,637
  • Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $25,581
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 24
  • Graduation Rate: 93 percent
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,150,000
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,237,000

Runners-Up

• Texas A&M University
• University of Texas, Austin
• Southern Methodist University

Wisconsin – Marquette University

• School Type: Private Research
• Applicants Admitted: 62 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Business/Marketing (24 percent), Communications/Journalism (12 percent), Engineering (10 percent), Social Sciences (10 percent)
• The Payout
  • Sticker Price: $162,700
  • Net Cost: $99,900
  • Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $41,026
  • Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $14,739
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 114
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $725,600
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $907,000

Runners-Up

• University of Wisconsin, Madison

Wyoming – University of Wyoming

• School Type: Public
• Applicants Admitted: 95 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Education (14 percent), Business/Marketing (12 percent), Health Professions (10 percent)
• The Payout
  • Sticker Price: $70,370 (in-state), $101,200 (out-of-state)
  • Net Cost: $42,980 (in-state), $73,780 (out-of-state)
  • Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $16,020 (in-state), $23,940 (out-of-state)
  • Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $5,750
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 458 (in-state), 484 (out-of-state)
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $354,100
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $643,800

Oregon – University of Portland

• School Type: Private
• Applicants Admitted: 65 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Health Professions (27 percent), Business/Marketing (13 percent), Biology (8 percent), Foreign Languages/Literature (8 percent)
• The Payout
  • Sticker Price: $167,400
  • Net Cost: $106,700
  • Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $44,311
  • Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $14,829
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 195
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $584,700
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $779,600

Runners-Up

• Oregon State University

Tennessee – Vanderbilt University

• School Type: Private Research
• Applicants Admitted: 18 percent
• Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (29 percent), Engineering (13 percent), Foreign Languages/Literature (7 percent), Interdisciplinary Studies (7 percent)
• The Payout
  • Sticker Price: $207,400
  • Net Cost: $77,150
  • Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $54,718
  • Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $31,857
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 43
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,021,000
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,122,000

Runners-Up

• Tennessee Technological University
• University of Tennessee

Rhode Island – Brown University

• School Type: Private Research—Ivy League
• Applicants Admitted: 9 %
  Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (23 percent), Biology (10 percent), Visual/Performing Arts (7 percent)
• The Payout
  • Sticker Price: $202,200
  • Net Cost: $83,740
  • Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost: $52,030
  • Average Annual Financial Aid Package: $28,860
• The Payoff
  • National ROI Rank: 28
  • Graduation Rate: 95 percent
  • 30-Year Net Return on Investment: $1,101,000
  • 30-Year Net Return for Graduates Only: $1,159,000

You can see the full list of universities here.

After going through the list, you can see graduates earn over Million Dollars over the period of 30 years.

Certainly higher the degree you get, more money you would be earning over  your life time. Read the link below to compare the salary figures.

College Cost

Yes, its costs lot of money to pay for college. Here are few ways to escape from college costs.