Best Return on Investment Colleges

When deciding which college to attend, there are many things to consider, but many students find the most important one to be price. Just like there are jobs that pay a lot and others that pay a little, there are also schools that cost a lot to attend and schools that cost much less. One thing to keep in mind is that many students graduate in debt no matter which school they attend; however, paying back your college debt shouldn’t be a problem if your degree gets you a good job that pays well. Therefore, getting a good education wouldn’t mean a thing without a good return on investment (ROI).

A school doesn’t have to be inexpensive to provide a solid ROI to its graduates. There are many factors that go into determining the average ROI from any particular school. Some of the factors we have taken into account include the average net cost of tuition and the average graduate’s salary. The following 55 colleges passed muster, with high average ROIs.

#1 United States Naval Academy

Founded in 1845, the United States Naval Academy is a public institution based east of Washington in Annapolis, Maryland. Of the five federal service academies, it is the second oldest. Over 4,000 undergraduate students are enrolled as officers in training.

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $0

  • Grads Average Salary : $112,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $1,120,000

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $749,760

  • Pure ROI % : 8977%

  • Net ROI % : NA

  • Graduation Rate : 91%

  • Retention Rate : 97%

#2 United States Air Force Academy

The USAFA is located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. This military academy caters specifically to cadets in the US Air Force and it’s the newest of the service academies available in the US. Graduates of the academy are awarded bachelor’s degrees in anything from biochemistry

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $0

  • Grads Average Salary : $110,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $1,100,000

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $729,760

  • Pure ROI % : 8817%

  • Net ROI % : NA

  • Graduation Rate : NA

  • Retention Rate : 95%

#3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Founded in 1861, MIT is a private research institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It has a main campus alongside the Charles River and several other facilities nearby such as the Bates Center, the Haystack Observatory, and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $18,971

  • Grads Average Salary : $109,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $1,071,029

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $700,789

  • Pure ROI % : 8737%

  • Net ROI % : 3794%

  • Graduation Rate : 94%

  • Retention Rate : 99%

#4 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

ACPHS is a private college with a couple of campuses in New England. These are located in Albany, New York and Colchester, Vermont. Available programs include biological and biomedical sciences, various health professions (cytotechnologist, pharmaceutical sciences, etc.),

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $119,208

  • Grads Average Salary : $115,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $1,030,792

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $660,552

  • Pure ROI % : 9218%

  • Net ROI % : 654%

  • Graduation Rate : 66%

  • Retention Rate : 81%

#5 United States Military Academy

Better known as West Point, USMA in West Point, New York is a federal service academy. It’s one of five service academies in the US. The school sits at the edge of the town of West Point, overlooking the Hudson River; a location chosen for its original use as a fort. Acceptance into

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $0

  • Grads Average Salary : $99,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $990,000

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $619,760

  • Pure ROI % : 7935%

  • Net ROI % : NA

  • Graduation Rate : 85%

  • Retention Rate : 97%

#6 California Institute of Technology

Caltech is a private, not-for-profit university in Pasadena, California that provides bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees; though less than half its students are undergraduates. As a research school, their doctorate students have access to plenty of hands-on experience.

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $105,444

  • Grads Average Salary : $109,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $984,556

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $614,316

  • Pure ROI % : 8737%

  • Net ROI % : 683%

  • Graduation Rate : 92%

  • Retention Rate : 98%

#7 Stanford University

Stanford University is a private, not-for-profit, research university in California that ranks as one of the top ten universities in the world. The school was founded in 1885 and admitted its first students in 1891. The school offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees as well as

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $69,084

  • Grads Average Salary : $104,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $970,916

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $600,676

  • Pure ROI % : 8336%

  • Net ROI % : 969%

  • Graduation Rate : 94%

  • Retention Rate : 99%

#8 Harvey Mudd College

HMC is a private, undergraduate college located in Claremont, California. It is one of the contiguous Claremont Colleges that all share adjacent campus grounds. While there aren’t a huge selection of degrees available (you can only receive a bachelor’s through this institution)

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $155,072

  • Grads Average Salary : $103,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $874,928

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $504,688

  • Pure ROI % : 8256%

  • Net ROI % : 425%

  • Graduation Rate : 92%

  • Retention Rate : 97%

#9 Carnegie Mellon University

CMU is a private research university located near Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as the Carnegie Technical School, it’s gone through several shifts before arriving at its current moniker. The school has more than a dozen locations on six continents and

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $123,388

  • Grads Average Salary : $96,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $836,612

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $466,372

  • Pure ROI % : 7695%

  • Net ROI % : 478%

  • Graduation Rate : 89%

  • Retention Rate : 97%

#10 Princeton University

Princeton University is a private, not-for-profit, research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746, Princeton is also an Ivy League school and the fourth-oldest university in the US. With an excellent student-to-faculty ratio of 5:1, students can earn bachelor’s

  • 4 Year Average Net Price : $64,768

  • Grads Average Salary : $89,000

  • Pure ROI $$$$: $825,232

  • Net ROI $$$$ : $454,992

  • Pure ROI % : 7134%

  • Net ROI % : 802%

  • Graduation Rate : 96%

  • Retention Rate : 98%

Check out all 55 of the Best ROI Colleges

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