Top-Rated Colleges (DR Rating)
Colleges with the highest DegreeReturn Rating — our transparent 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate.
All states
| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Private | $105,756 | $6,128 | $10,320 | +2,049% | Strong return | |
| 2 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY | Public | $101,017 | $6,174 | $8,833 | +1,907% | Strong return | |
| 3 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | Private | $145,453 | $13,807 | $12,000 | +1,585% | Strong return | |
| 4 | Rice University Houston, TX | Private | $87,237 | $13,370 | $11,000 | +635% | Strong return | |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Public | $89,838 | $13,481 | $13,000 | +664% | Strong return | |
| 6 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | Private | $96,741 | $15,846 | $14,000 | +656% | Strong return | |
| 7 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | Private | $110,017 | $18,809 | $10,250 | +723% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | Private | $122,126 | $14,398 | $18,500 | +1,099% | Strong return | |
| 9 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Private | $95,040 | $14,860 | $15,000 | +671% | Strong return | |
| 10 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA | Public | $98,607 | $12,116 | $21,672 | +851% | Strong return | |
| 11 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | Public | $85,456 | $3,033 | $11,512 | +2,378% | Strong return | |
| 12 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Private | $111,537 | $19,066 | $14,000 | +718% | Strong return | |
| 13 | Pomona College Claremont, CA | Private | $131,742 | $19,285 | $11,782 | +965% | Strong return | |
| 14 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Private | $140,645 | $20,111 | $14,768 | +1,014% | Strong return | |
| 15 | City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Chicago, IL | Public | $93,573 | $7,886 | $4,500 | +2,690% | Strong return | |
| 16 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Public | $81,976 | $12,548 | $14,000 | +569% | Strong return | |
| 17 | California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA | Private | $133,219 | $16,075 | — | +1,272% | Strong return | |
| 18 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | Public | $83,253 | $13,138 | $19,500 | +541% | Strong return | |
| 19 | Amherst College Amherst, MA | Private | $150,151 | $23,367 | $13,740 | +968% | Strong return | |
| 20 | Yale University New Haven, CT | Private | $100,484 | $23,777 | $12,975 | +456% | Strong return | |
| 21 | Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA | Public | $139,682 | $7,653 | $10,500 | +2,649% | Strong return | |
| 22 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA | Public | $82,775 | $14,091 | $14,615 | +512% | Strong return | |
| 23 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | Private | $107,113 | $23,149 | $17,500 | +528% | Strong return | |
| 24 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | Private | $98,696 | $21,590 | $21,500 | +470% | Strong return | |
| 25 | Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College Miami Lakes, FL | Public | $103,877 | $2,839 | — | +10,269% | Strong return | |
| 26 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Public | $73,595 | $6,541 | $15,000 | +804% | Strong return | |
| 27 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Public | $87,876 | $16,665 | $18,500 | +484% | Strong return | |
| 28 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | Private | $106,739 | $23,781 | $19,500 | +504% | Strong return | |
| 29 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Private | $102,051 | $28,690 | $14,000 | +376% | Strong return | |
| 30 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | Public | $78,315 | $12,470 | $15,500 | +500% | Strong return | |
| 31 | Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX | Public | $77,665 | $4,732 | $5,641 | +1,457% | Strong return | |
| 32 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Private | $113,510 | $28,699 | $15,715 | +468% | Strong return | |
| 33 | Duke University Durham, NC | Private | $104,531 | $29,612 | $13,000 | +383% | Strong return | |
| 34 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM | Public | $100,852 | $9,873 | $19,085 | +1,103% | Strong return | |
| 35 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ | Public | $93,065 | $16,504 | $21,000 | +552% | Strong return | |
| 36 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | Private | $90,471 | $26,780 | $19,000 | +299% | Strong return | |
| 37 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Private | $104,154 | $29,167 | $15,000 | +384% | Strong return | |
| 38 | Contra Costa College San Pablo, CA | Public | $135,374 | $9,490 | — | +4,662% | Strong return | |
| 39 | Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | Private | $151,744 | $28,849 | $13,500 | +787% | Strong return | |
| 40 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | Public | $77,073 | $14,251 | $15,000 | +413% | Strong return | |
| 41 | Butte College Oroville, CA | Public | $81,627 | $5,520 | $10,500 | +2,364% | Strong return | |
| 42 | Chamberlain University-Michigan Troy, MI | For-profit | $92,768 | $28,045 | $20,919 | +299% | Strong return | |
| 43 | College of the Mainland Texas City, TX | Public | $86,657 | $1,342 | $5,960 | +5,425% | Strong return | |
| 44 | University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK | Private | $88,153 | $15,000 | $21,500 | +536% | Strong return | |
| 45 | Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | Private | $97,667 | $29,519 | $17,500 | +323% | Strong return | |
| 46 | Colby College Waterville, ME | Private | $79,364 | $17,180 | $19,157 | +354% | Strong return | |
| 47 | Ohlone College Fremont, CA | Public | $128,248 | $11,130 | — | +3,640% | Strong return | |
| 48 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | Public | $74,836 | $14,741 | $13,000 | +368% | Strong return | |
| 49 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA | Public | $82,259 | $12,319 | $14,615 | +582% | Strong return | |
| 50 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | Public | $78,926 | $14,600 | $19,500 | +418% | Strong return | |
| 51 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA | Public | $78,105 | $21,565 | $17,500 | +257% | Strong return | |
| 52 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | Private | $90,592 | $23,464 | $22,954 | +346% | Strong return | |
| 53 | Lee College Baytown, TX | Public | $74,264 | $6,879 | $7,500 | +1,675% | Strong return | |
| 54 | Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood, PA | Public | $75,315 | $5,167 | $11,000 | +2,014% | Strong return | |
| 55 | Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH | Private | $93,786 | $10,420 | $22,082 | +881% | Strong return | |
| 56 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Public | $67,381 | $11,655 | $14,000 | +333% | Strong return | |
| 57 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY | Private | $87,575 | $28,985 | $17,000 | +249% | Strong return | |
| 58 | Great Basin College Elko, NV | Public | $99,036 | $8,471 | $15,750 | +1,264% | Strong return | |
| 59 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO | Private | $78,280 | $21,786 | $17,500 | +256% | Strong return | |
| 60 | University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI | Private | $89,689 | $15,232 | $23,250 | +544% | Strong return | |
| 61 | Cloud County Community College Concordia, KS | Public | $80,547 | $11,685 | $8,000 | +1,252% | Strong return | |
| 62 | Goshen College Goshen, IN | Private | $93,667 | $14,493 | $22,974 | +634% | Strong return | |
| 63 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL | Private | $96,455 | $18,425 | $25,000 | +521% | Strong return | |
| 64 | Emory University Atlanta, GA | Private | $81,978 | $22,585 | $18,250 | +281% | Strong return | |
| 65 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | Public | $81,942 | $13,760 | $15,000 | +511% | Strong return | |
| 66 | Alvin Community College Alvin, TX | Public | $103,240 | $8,525 | $4,519 | +1,529% | Strong return | |
| 67 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Private | $111,544 | $31,944 | $21,750 | +390% | Strong return | |
| 68 | Montana Technological University Butte, MT | Public | $88,641 | $16,481 | $18,750 | +500% | Strong return | |
| 69 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO | Public | $91,608 | $16,298 | $23,250 | +533% | Strong return | |
| 70 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA | Public | $96,183 | $21,582 | $25,000 | +436% | Strong return | |
| 71 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Public | $73,526 | $14,355 | $19,500 | +342% | Strong return | |
| 72 | Emily Griffith Technical College Denver, CO | Public | $81,807 | $7,197 | — | +5,014% | Strong return | |
| 73 | Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA | Public | $79,530 | $10,261 | $12,750 | +1,272% | Strong return | |
| 74 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Public | $73,857 | $16,109 | $13,993 | +315% | Strong return | |
| 75 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA | Public | $70,510 | $6,555 | $13,750 | +717% | Strong return | |
| 76 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL | Public | $59,861 | $4,815 | $15,000 | +501% | Strong return | |
| 77 | Chamberlain University-Virginia Vienna, VA | For-profit | $92,768 | $33,199 | $20,919 | +240% | Strong return | |
| 78 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA | Public | $75,229 | $10,163 | $14,615 | +558% | Strong return | |
| 79 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Private | $70,249 | $15,564 | $11,069 | +281% | Strong return | |
| 80 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Public | $79,331 | $21,315 | $17,804 | +274% | Strong return | |
| 81 | University of St Thomas Houston, TX | Private | $86,639 | $19,359 | $19,928 | +392% | Strong return | |
| 82 | Brown University Providence, RI | Private | $79,577 | $25,184 | $11,428 | +230% | Strong return | |
| 83 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY | Public | $80,309 | $18,784 | $18,228 | +332% | Strong return | |
| 84 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | Public | $71,599 | $2,984 | $11,000 | +1,568% | Strong return | |
| 85 | CUNY City College New York, NY | Public | $71,208 | $3,776 | $11,990 | +1,246% | Strong return | |
| 86 | Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI | Public | $84,708 | $14,182 | $24,990 | +503% | Strong return | |
| 87 | Northeastern University Boston, MA | Private | $93,483 | $30,915 | $24,250 | +266% | Strong return | |
| 88 | Montgomery College Rockville, MD | Public | $74,218 | $8,027 | $10,415 | +1,372% | Strong return | |
| 89 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | Public | $71,468 | $15,678 | $19,000 | +280% | Strong return | |
| 90 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO | Public | $96,155 | $28,690 | $23,000 | +315% | Strong return | |
| 91 | Mission College Santa Clara, CA | Public | $77,684 | $5,080 | — | +3,117% | Strong return | |
| 92 | Arkansas State University Three Rivers Malvern, AR | Public | $73,195 | $8,070 | $10,250 | +1,319% | Strong return | |
| 93 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | Public | $72,573 | $17,354 | $20,484 | +259% | Strong return | |
| 94 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA | Public | $79,025 | $17,113 | $22,996 | +343% | Strong return | |
| 95 | Connors State College Warner, OK | Public | $73,844 | $10,199 | $11,500 | +1,073% | Strong return | |
| 96 | Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND | Public | $78,479 | $10,270 | $11,533 | +639% | Strong return | |
| 97 | Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC | Private | $81,989 | $13,090 | — | +606% | Strong return | |
| 98 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY | Public | $99,548 | $22,367 | $23,250 | +457% | Strong return | |
| 99 | Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL | Public | $67,434 | $1,672 | $9,711 | +3,159% | Strong return | |
| 100 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Public | $67,246 | $13,936 | $18,500 | +256% | Strong return |
By state
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
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