Best ROI: Schools Under 5,000 Students

Small schools (under 5,000 students) that punch well above their size on ROI. A smaller campus doesn't have to mean a smaller payoff.

50 schools ranked

Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release

#	School	ROI	Net Price	10yr Earnings	Median Debt	Completion	Tier
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	99	$20,111	$143,372	$14,768	96.4%	Exceptional
2	Rice University Houston, TX	98	$13,370	$89,718	$11,000	94.6%	Exceptional
3	Babson College Wellesley, MA	96	$40,514	$123,938	$20,000	93.1%	Exceptional
4	Williams College Williamstown, MA	96	$17,716	$88,665	$12,761	93.6%	Exceptional
5	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	95	$29,519	$97,434	$17,500	95.5%	Exceptional
6	Colby College Waterville, ME	94	$17,180	$80,490	$19,157	88.8%	Exceptional
7	Bentley University Waltham, MA	94	$37,930	$120,959	$25,023	86.8%	Exceptional
8	Wellesley College Wellesley, MA	94	$25,496	$84,803	$10,000	91.5%	Exceptional
9	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Albany, NY	94	$29,882	$131,426	$25,500	67.5%	Exceptional
10	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY	94	$13,269	$83,847	$15,000	81.1%	Exceptional
11	United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY	93	$6,174	$90,610	$8,833	82.4%	Exceptional
12	Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA	92	$28,849	$104,736	$13,500	91.4%	Exceptional
13	Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA	92	$35,924	$138,687	$25,000	91.9%	Exceptional
14	Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL	92	$18,425	$82,592	$25,000	75.2%	Exceptional
15	Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME	92	$14,398	$82,735	$18,500	95.3%	Exceptional
16	Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA	92	$21,582	$82,392	$25,000	74.1%	Exceptional
17	Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ	92	$41,346	$108,772	$27,000	86.9%	Exceptional
18	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	92	$28,786	$85,139	$15,000	91.2%	Exceptional
19	Lafayette College Easton, PA	92	$34,433	$91,410	$16,000	87.6%	Exceptional
20	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA	92	$23,149	$80,257	$17,500	92.3%	Exceptional
21	SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY	91	$22,367	$95,951	$23,250	64.4%	Exceptional
22	Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA	91	$23,781	$94,810	$19,500	93.9%	Exceptional
23	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA	91	$10,163	$78,466	$14,615	63.2%	Exceptional
24	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL	91	$4,815	$71,588	$15,000	84.7%	Exceptional
25	California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA	90	$20,555	$94,784	$24,965	59.7%	Exceptional
26	Pomona College Claremont, CA	90	$19,285	$77,779	$11,782	93.2%	Exceptional
27	Amherst College Amherst, MA	90	$23,367	$77,644	$13,740	93.9%	Exceptional
28	MCPHS University Boston, MA	90	$39,545	$125,557	$25,000	62.0%	Exceptional
29	Barnard College New York, NY	90	$28,800	$80,516	$18,000	93.0%	Exceptional
30	Davidson College Davidson, NC	90	$17,379	$81,400	$18,688	91.1%	Exceptional
31	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN	89	$42,513	$101,253	$25,000	78.2%	Strong
32	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM	89	$9,873	$76,489	$19,085	57.0%	Strong
33	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	89	$28,985	$78,411	$17,000	90.6%	Strong
34	University of Portland Portland, OR	89	$28,210	$82,804	$21,370	79.8%	Strong
35	Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI	89	$22,453	$89,070	$27,000	67.1%	Strong
36	Kettering University Flint, MI	88	$34,660	$94,823	$27,000	70.8%	Strong
37	University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis Saint Louis, MO	88	$31,817	$137,047	$17,755	61.7%	Strong
38	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY	88	$30,305	$89,696	$26,000	74.9%	Strong
39	Ohio Northern University Ada, OH	88	$24,478	$80,928	$27,000	75.5%	Strong
40	Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA	88	$17,113	$77,369	$22,996	76.2%	Strong
41	Chamberlain University-Michigan Troy, MI	88	$28,045	$92,405	$20,919	100.0%	Strong
42	Trinity College Hartford, CT	87	$34,832	$90,779	$23,000	83.8%	Strong
43	Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH	87	$10,420	$75,103	$22,082	53.8%	Strong
44	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	87	$40,766	$93,807	$27,000	86.3%	Strong
45	Haverford College Haverford, PA	87	$25,314	$79,966	$13,621	89.6%	Strong
46	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	87	$13,807	$73,997	$21,500	61.6%	Strong
47	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	87	$16,403	$73,997	$21,500	65.0%	Strong
48	Chamberlain University-Missouri St. Louis, MO	87	$30,716	$92,405	$20,919	100.0%	Strong
49	Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA	86	$29,689	$86,881	$25,500	78.8%	Strong
50	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA	86	$28,928	$77,449	$14,744	68.6%	Strong

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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 →

Common Questions

What is the best small college for ROI?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology tops this list at 99/100 on our ROI scale, the highest among the 50 schools ranked here. Rankings weigh net price against median graduate earnings from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data - no prestige guesswork.

Which school on this list has the highest graduate earnings?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology reports the highest median earnings here, about $143,372 ten years after enrollment. In our view higher earnings alone don't make the best value, since what you pay matters just as much - which is why the ranking weighs cost too.

What is the most affordable school on this list?

University of Florida-Online carries the lowest net price among the ranked schools, about $4,815 a year after grants and scholarships. Net price is what students actually pay, not the published sticker price.

How are these schools ranked?

We score every school 0 to 100 on five quantifiable factors: earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%). All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, with no subjective reputation scoring. Of the 50 schools here, 50 earn an ROI score of 60 or higher.