Is it worth it? Do the math.
A college degree is a six-figure decision, and you deserve more than a reputation ranking to make it. We scored 1,665 colleges on real ROI - what graduates actually earn versus what they paid - using U.S. Department of Education data.
Try MIT, Georgia Tech, or your school
The ROI Breakdown
How the 1,665 schools scored - click any tier to see those schools
Only 18% of schools score 75 or above. Most colleges deliver below-average financial returns relative to their cost.
Top ROI Schools
Highest return on your education investment
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Rice University
Houston, TX
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Rankings
Sorted by data, not reputation
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Data-driven takes on the decisions that matter
Is Clemson Worth It? The ROI Data on Clemson University (2026)
Clemson costs $15,554/year in-state and $40,866 out-of-state, with an average net price of $22,253 after aid. Graduates earn $71,513 at ten years and pay the degree back in 6.3 years. It is the best ROI in South Carolina, and it beats the state flagship at a lower net price.
9 min read
RankingsBest College Value in Kansas: Top ROI Schools (2026)
The University of Kansas tops the state at ROI 76 while admitting 93.5% of applicants, which is unusual: the best value in Kansas is available to almost anyone who applies. The two schools whose graduates out-earn KU are both small privates, and both lose on price.
9 min read
RankingsBest College Value in Arkansas: Top ROI Schools (2026)
Arkansas has 20 scored colleges and a tie at the top of the board: the Fayetteville flagship and its own online campus, at prices $9,839 a year apart, for opposite reasons. No other public school in the state clears an ROI of 40.
8 min read
Every number traces back
to a government data source
No subjective rankings. No reputation scores. No sponsored placements. Just earnings, costs, debt, completion rates, and repayment data from the U.S. Department of Education.