Best value colleges in the US

Value here is median earnings ten years after enrolling divided by one year’s average net price — a higher number means students earn more relative to what they paid. It’s IvyscoreAI’s own calculation from federal data, not an official ranking. We compared 1,098 US colleges with at least 1,000 students and published earnings and net price figures. The median is 2.8×; the top 50 range from 25.0× to 6.3×.

Colleges compared1,098

Ranked #125.0×

Median, all compared2.8×

Ranked #506.3×

The top 50

#	College	Earnings ÷ price	Acceptance	Net price	Earnings	Grad rate
1	CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · Public · 16,154 students	25.0×	48%	$3,033	$75,971	72%
2	CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · Public · 16,289 students	21.2×	54%	$2,984	$63,163	57%
3	CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · Public · 10,543 students	19.6×	58%	$3,103	$60,752	54%
4	CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · Public · 10,696 students	18.4×	57%	$3,148	$58,013	51%
5	Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private · 5,709 students	18.0×	5%	$6,128	$110,066	98%
6	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, NY · Public · 11,590 students	17.5×	57%	$3,203	$56,195	56%
7	CUNY City CollegeNew York, NY · Public · 12,505 students	17.5×	60%	$3,776	$66,039	57%
8	CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, NY · Public · 12,550 students	15.0×	64%	$4,195	$62,763	53%
9	California State University-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · Public · 19,562 students	14.9×	91%	$3,967	$59,211	53%
10	University of Florida-OnlineGainesville, FL · Public · 4,627 students	14.9×	61%	$4,815	$71,588	85%
11	Texas A & M International UniversityLaredo, TX · Public · 6,667 students	13.3×	44%	$3,637	$48,386	47%
12	California State University-San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · Public · 15,023 students	13.1×	94%	$4,564	$59,977	55%
13	CUNY York CollegeJamaica, NY · Public · 4,345 students	12.8×	64%	$4,456	$56,945	32%
14	Indiana University-KokomoKokomo, IN · Public · 2,352 students	12.6×	87%	$3,968	$49,917	46%
15	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · Public · 35,629 students	10.9×	24%	$6,541	$71,588	91%
16	California State University-BakersfieldBakersfield, CA · Public · 8,577 students	10.4×	94%	$5,652	$59,009	50%
17	California State University-StanislausTurlock, CA · Public · 8,385 students	10.4×	98%	$6,067	$63,188	53%
18	The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX · Public · 28,666 students	10.3×	94%	$4,831	$49,620	51%
19	CUNY New York City College of TechnologyBrooklyn, NY · Public · 13,580 students	9.6×	80%	$5,127	$49,365	22%
20	California State University-FullertonFullerton, CA · Public · 38,546 students	9.6×	91%	$6,555	$62,951	70%
21	College of Staten Island CUNYStaten Island, NY · Public · 9,657 students	9.6×	92%	$5,579	$53,501	34%
22	Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private · 7,554 students	9.0×	4%	$13,807	$124,080	92%
23	California State University-FresnoFresno, CA · Public · 21,605 students	8.7×	95%	$7,000	$61,244	57%
24	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA · Public · 18,785 students	8.5×	14%	$12,116	$102,772	94%
25	Indiana University-NorthwestGary, IN · Public · 2,661 students	8.5×	73%	$5,130	$43,361	37%
26	California State University-NorthridgeNorthridge, CA · Public · 32,691 students	8.4×	94%	$7,021	$59,115	57%
27	CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn, NY · Public · 3,233 students	8.1×	86%	$5,718	$46,498	20%
28	Purdue University NorthwestHammond, IN · Public · 5,671 students	7.9×	72%	$6,079	$48,318	43%
29	Eastern New Mexico University-Main CampusPortales, NM · Public · 3,357 students	7.9×	92%	$4,904	$38,550	45%
30	University of Washington-Tacoma CampusTacoma, WA · Public · 4,185 students	7.7×	83%	$10,163	$78,466	63%
31	California State University-East BayHayward, CA · Public · 9,809 students	7.7×	97%	$9,320	$71,401	48%
32	University of Michigan-FlintFlint, MI · Public · 4,411 students	7.6×	71%	$7,007	$53,230	40%
33	Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private · 4,535 students	7.1×	5%	$20,111	$143,372	96%
34	Berea CollegeBerea, KY · Private · 1,513 students	7.1×	19%	$6,106	$43,150	58%
35	California State University-SacramentoSacramento, CA · Public · 28,350 students	6.9×	94%	$9,338	$64,876	56%
36	University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public · 33,068 students	6.9×	11%	$13,481	$92,446	93%
37	College of the OzarksPoint Lookout, MO · Private · 1,444 students	6.8×	12%	$6,100	$41,592	64%
38	University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · Public · 34,948 students	6.8×	27%	$12,470	$84,943	86%
39	Louisiana State University-ShreveportShreveport, LA · Public · 2,153 students	6.8×	51%	$7,022	$47,477	38%
40	Texas A&M University-VictoriaVictoria, TX · Public · 2,513 students	6.7×	96%	$8,109	$54,467	26%
41	Rice UniversityHouston, TX · Private · 4,776 students	6.7×	8%	$13,370	$89,718	95%
42	California State University-Dominguez HillsCarson, CA · Public · 12,538 students	6.6×	93%	$8,615	$57,162	43%
43	University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · Public · 33,475 students	6.6×	9%	$12,548	$82,511	93%
44	Florida International UniversityMiami, FL · Public · 39,508 students	6.5×	55%	$9,288	$60,249	74%
45	Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL · Public · 23,757 students	6.5×	66%	$8,752	$56,746	63%
46	Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · Public · 12,351 students	6.4×	88%	$9,120	$58,612	58%
47	Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · Public · 9,552 students	6.4×	63%	$10,867	$69,781	53%
48	University of Washington-Bothell CampusBothell, WA · Public · 5,457 students	6.4×	91%	$12,319	$78,466	65%
49	University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI · Public · 34,177 students	6.4×	16%	$13,138	$83,648	93%
50	Ferris State UniversityBig Rapids, MI · Public · 8,106 students	6.3×	91%	$8,624	$54,735	47%

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Includes colleges with at least 1,000 students and published earnings and net price figures. Net price is the average annual cost after grants for students receiving federal aid. Earnings are median earnings 10 years after entering. A dash means the figure isn’t published for that school.

Common questions

What is the best value college in the US?

By graduate earnings relative to cost, CUNY Bernard M Baruch College ranks first: median earnings of $75,971 ten years after entering against an average net price of $3,033 a year (25.0×). CUNY Hunter College (21.2×) is next.

What is a typical earnings-to-cost ratio?

Across the 1,098 US colleges with at least 1,000 students and published earnings and net price figures, the median is 2.8×. The top 50 range from 25.0× to 6.3×.

How was this list made?

We took every US college with at least 1,000 students and published earnings and net price figures in the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and ranked them. Value here is median earnings ten years after enrolling divided by one year’s average net price — a higher number means students earn more relative to what they paid. It’s IvyscoreAI’s own calculation from federal data, not an official ranking. Schools without the figure published are left out rather than estimated.

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