Most Underrated Colleges by ROI

These are the schools that pay off without the famous name. Each scores 70+ on our ROI scale but has fewer than 10,000 students and admits more than 25% of applicants. You get the outcomes without paying for the brand - exactly what the prestige rankings tend to miss.

50 schools ranked

Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release

#	School	ROI	Net Price	10yr Earnings	Median Debt	Completion	Tier
1	Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO	94	$28,690	$97,335	$23,000	81.7%	Exceptional
2	Bentley University Waltham, MA	94	$37,930	$120,959	$25,023	86.8%	Exceptional
3	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Albany, NY	94	$29,882	$131,426	$25,500	67.5%	Exceptional
4	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY	93	$36,228	$102,051	$23,750	83.6%	Exceptional
5	United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY	93	$6,174	$90,610	$8,833	82.4%	Exceptional
6	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA	93	$36,931	$105,584	$21,960	87.9%	Exceptional
7	Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL	92	$18,425	$82,592	$25,000	75.2%	Exceptional
8	Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA	92	$21,582	$82,392	$25,000	74.1%	Exceptional
9	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ	92	$16,504	$84,276	$21,000	72.8%	Exceptional
10	Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ	92	$41,346	$108,772	$27,000	86.9%	Exceptional
11	Lafayette College Easton, PA	92	$34,433	$91,410	$16,000	87.6%	Exceptional
12	SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY	91	$22,367	$95,951	$23,250	64.4%	Exceptional
13	William & Mary Williamsburg, VA	91	$19,096	$73,490	$18,500	89.4%	Exceptional
14	University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA	91	$12,319	$78,466	$14,615	65.3%	Exceptional
15	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA	91	$10,163	$78,466	$14,615	63.2%	Exceptional
16	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL	91	$4,815	$71,588	$15,000	84.7%	Exceptional
17	California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA	90	$20,555	$94,784	$24,965	59.7%	Exceptional
18	Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA	90	$50,062	$109,183	$19,162	87.9%	Exceptional
19	MCPHS University Boston, MA	90	$39,545	$125,557	$25,000	62.0%	Exceptional
20	Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA	90	$43,071	$103,470	$27,000	89.7%	Exceptional
21	Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO	90	$16,298	$82,957	$23,250	64.4%	Exceptional
22	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN	89	$42,513	$101,253	$25,000	78.2%	Strong
23	Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI	89	$14,182	$78,198	$24,990	68.1%	Strong
24	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM	89	$9,873	$76,489	$19,085	57.0%	Strong
25	University of Portland Portland, OR	89	$28,210	$82,804	$21,370	79.8%	Strong
26	Villanova University Villanova, PA	89	$43,756	$100,423	$25,874	91.9%	Strong
27	Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI	89	$22,453	$89,070	$27,000	67.1%	Strong
28	University of San Diego San Diego, CA	88	$30,365	$86,522	$22,940	83.7%	Strong
29	Kettering University Flint, MI	88	$34,660	$94,823	$27,000	70.8%	Strong
30	University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis Saint Louis, MO	88	$31,817	$137,047	$17,755	61.7%	Strong
31	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY	88	$30,305	$89,696	$26,000	74.9%	Strong
32	Ohio Northern University Ada, OH	88	$24,478	$80,928	$27,000	75.5%	Strong
33	Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA	88	$17,113	$77,369	$22,996	76.2%	Strong
34	Chamberlain University-Michigan Troy, MI	88	$28,045	$92,405	$20,919	100.0%	Strong
35	Trinity College Hartford, CT	87	$34,832	$90,779	$23,000	83.8%	Strong
36	Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH	87	$10,420	$75,103	$22,082	53.8%	Strong
37	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	87	$40,766	$93,807	$27,000	86.3%	Strong
38	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	87	$13,807	$73,997	$21,500	61.6%	Strong
39	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	87	$16,403	$73,997	$21,500	65.0%	Strong
40	Chamberlain University-Missouri St. Louis, MO	87	$30,716	$92,405	$20,919	100.0%	Strong
41	Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA	86	$29,689	$86,881	$25,500	78.8%	Strong
42	Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA	86	$28,928	$77,449	$14,744	68.6%	Strong
43	Chamberlain University-Virginia Vienna, VA	86	$33,199	$92,405	$20,919	100.0%	Strong
44	University of the Pacific Stockton, CA	85	$25,447	$78,445	$19,500	69.0%	Strong
45	University of Rochester Rochester, NY	85	$29,278	$79,042	$21,000	85.4%	Strong
46	Union College Schenectady, NY	85	$34,561	$88,604	$25,337	80.4%	Strong
47	Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH	85	$41,190	$87,989	$24,000	87.2%	Strong
48	Trinity University San Antonio, TX	85	$23,464	$71,668	$22,954	84.0%	Strong
49	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	85	$10,875	$73,997	$21,500	52.7%	Strong
50	Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME	84	$23,414	$89,964	$27,000	58.2%	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 underrated college by ROI?

Colorado School of Mines tops this list at 94/100 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?

University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis reports the highest median earnings here, about $137,047 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.