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.
is the sticker price for caltech true in real world or is it exaggerated ?
and , the price stands for which course , m.S or ?
I think data is based on overall ROI for all majors and degrees combined.
You can go to Cal Tech site to confirm the cost.
I see none from the Univ of California system. Does that make them over-rated for engineering? Frankly would be surprised if that were the case, considering the reputation of UCBerkeley and UCLA.
If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could this article be redrafted into a single page (or print-friendly view) ‘coz i noticed my browser (Chrome) crashed while trying to navigate through the pages. I have a feeling the page had something to do with that, or maybe it was just coincidental.
There is a page for California – California Institute of Technology is actually ranked #1.
Aren’t Caltech and UCal (Berkeley n’ all) completely different and independent from each other?
CalTech is Private school. UC Berkeley is Public Univ.
@HSB The Return of Investment is for which course? MS in ?? or all the courses make up this return approximately?
Its based on college, but majority of colleges are Engineering based.