Is it worth it? Do the math.
We scored 1,665 colleges on real ROI using U.S. Department of Education data. Not rankings based on reputation. Rankings based on what graduates actually earn versus what they paid.
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
Interactive Tools
Enter your situation. Get your numbers.
ROI Calculator
Enter your school, major, and aid. Get your personalized payback timeline and lifetime earnings premium.
Calculate my ROILoan Payback Calculator
See your monthly payment under standard, graduated, and income-driven plans. Compare total interest paid.
Calculate paybackOpportunity Cost Calculator
What if you worked and invested instead? See when (or whether) college outperforms the alternative.
Run the numbersLatest Analysis
Data-driven takes on the decisions that matter
Best College Value in Wisconsin: Top ROI Schools (2026)
UW Madison grads hit $72K median earnings 10 years out at a $15K in-state net price, putting the flagship among the strongest public college values in the Midwest. The UW System's regional campuses offer meaningful value backstops at $10K-$13K net prices.
8 min read
School AnalysisIs Rice Worth It? The ROI Data on Rice University (2026)
Rice's sticker is $75,560, the lowest of the elite privates we track. Net price averages $21,300. Median 10-year earnings are $89,700 against median debt of $15,200. Payback: 3.1 years, among the best in American higher education.
10 min read
RankingsBest College Value in Arizona: Top ROI Schools (2026)
Arizona's college value story is a tale of three publics. ASU dominates on scale and Phoenix-area hiring access, U of A competes on research and medicine, and NAU fills the northern-regional role. The private picture is messier.
8 min read
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
New analyses, updated school profiles, and tools - when there’s something worth acting on.
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.