Best ROI: Private Universities

Private institutions where the premium price tag is justified by outcomes. These schools earn their tuition.

50 schools ranked

#SchoolROI
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
99
2Stanford University
Stanford, CA
99
3University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
98
4Rice University
Houston, TX
98
5Yale University
New Haven, CT
97
6University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
97
7Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
97
8University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
97
9Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
97
10Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
96
11Babson College
Wellesley, MA
96
12Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
96
13Williams College
Williamstown, MA
96
14Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO
96
15Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
96
16Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
96
17Duke University
Durham, NC
96
18Brown University
Providence, RI
96
19Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
95
20California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
94
21Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
94
22Colby College
Waterville, ME
94
23Bentley University
Waltham, MA
94
24Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
94
25Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
94
26Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Albany, NY
94
27The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, NY
94
28Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
94
29Georgetown University
Washington, DC
93
30Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY
93
31Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
93
32Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
92
33Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
92
34Emory University
Atlanta, GA
92
35Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
92
36Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
92
37Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
92
38Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ
92
39Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
92
40Lafayette College
Easton, PA
92
41Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
92
42University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
91
43Northeastern University
Boston, MA
91
44Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA
91
45Pomona College
Claremont, CA
90
46Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
90
47Amherst College
Amherst, MA
90
48Boston University
Boston, MA
90
49MCPHS University
Boston, MA
90
50Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
90

How We Rank

Rankings are based on our ROI score (0-100), which weights five quantifiable factors: Earnings Premium (30%), Payback Period (25%), Debt-to-Earnings (20%), Completion Rate (15%), and Loan Repayment (10%). All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. No subjective criteria are used.

Full methodology →