Wondering which college diploma comes with the ultimate ROI? Look no further. The latest U.S. News rankings spotlight colleges with the best ROI, evaluating a staggering 4,600 four-year universities. Whether you’re chasing career success, financial freedom, or both, these rankings shed light on which universities deliver degrees that pay big over time.
TOP THREE SCHOOLS WITH THE HIGHEST ROI
Leading the pack is Harvey Mudd College, where graduates took home an impressive average of $4,506,000 over 40 years. For students, tuition and fees were $68,613 for the 2024-2025 year. Consistently recognized for its excellence, Harvey Mudd has also secured top spots in Washington Monthly’s annual rankings, which assess schools based on their commitment to social mobility, groundbreaking research, and public service. When it comes to debt, those in the 2023 graduating class had an average of $28,766 in debt – slightly lower than the $29,400 U.S. average.
Second on the list of schools with the best ROI is Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This school scored No. 1 in Time’s Higher Ed’s 2025 world university rankings this year, and over the past 40 years, graduates brought in a total of $4,484,000. Last year, the tuition cost was $62,396 on average, and their student loan debt average also dipped below the national average, at $26,522.
Ranking third is Princeton University in New Jersey, which falls just below the $4 million range for ROI but still delivers an impressive return of $3,949,000 over 40 years. Tuition for the 2024-2025 year came in at $62,400, and their students’ average debt was significantly lower than the top 2 schools, coming in at $17,494.
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