Students react as they prepare to receive their diplomas at commencement at Harvard University.
Where you go to college isn’t just an investment in the next four years, it’s an investment in the rest of your life.
And although price certainly isn’t the only factor to consider when deciding where to attend, it doesn’t hurt to go to a school that’s a good value.
Payscale’s annual College ROI Report determines the return on investment for schools across the U.S. by subtracting the cost of attendance from graduates’ 20-year pay.
For the report, Payscale draws its data from the approximately 1.3 million college-educated workers who successfully completed PayScale’s Employee Survey over the last 10 years. Read a complete breakdown of the methodology here.
For this list, CNBC included schools based on the cost of out-of-state tuition, where applicable.
Though we can’t guarantee that attending any particular school will result in the same ROI, here are 25 schools that give you a good shot.
25. Dartmouth College
20 year net ROI: $650,000
Total cost for four years: $257,000
Average loan amount: $23,200
24. Capitol College
20 year net ROI: $653,000
Total cost for four years: $135,000
Average loan amount: $37,000
23. Missouri University of Science and Technology
20 year net ROI: $654,000
Total cost for four years: $147,000
Average loan amount: $27,500
22. University of Pennsylvania
20 year net ROI: $673,000
Total cost for four years: $252,000
Average loan amount: $25,400
21. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
20 year net ROI: $676,000
Total cost for four years: $252,000
Average loan amount: $42,800
20. Carnegie Mellon University
20 year net ROI: $678,000
Total cost for four years: $251,000
Average loan amount: $31,500
19. Maine Maritime Academy
20 year net ROI: $680,000
Total cost for four years: $145,000
Average loan amount: $43,200
18. Harvard University
20 year net ROI: $700,000
Total cost for four years: $244,000
Average loan amount: $20,300
17. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
20 year net ROI: $712,000
Total cost for four years :$244,00
Average loan amount: $32,000
16. Babson College
20 year net ROI: $726,000
Total cost for four years: $246,000
Average loan amount: $30,000
15. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
20 year net ROI: $738,000
Total cost for four years: $232,000
Average loan amount: $45,500
14. Kettering University
20 year net ROI: $743,000
Total cost for four years: $208,000
Average loan amount: $41,700
13. Georgia Institute of Technology
20 year net ROI: $746,000
Total cost for four years: $174,000
Average loan amount: $31,700
12. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
20 year net ROI: $752,000
Total cost for four years: $235,000
Average loan amount: $43,000
11. Stanford University
20 year net ROI: $761,000
Total cost for four years: $247,000
Average loan amount: $29,100
10. Princeton University
20 year net ROI: $764,000
Total cost for four years: $231,000
Average loan amount: $14,100
9. California State University, Maritime
20 year net ROI: $781,000
Total cost for four years: $133,000
Average loan amount: $30,600
8. Stevens Institute of Technology
20 year net ROI: $800,000
Total cost for four years: $244,000
Average loan amount: $45,800
7. Colorado School of Mines
20 year net ROI: $818,000
Total cost for four years: $188,000
Average loan amount: $33,400
6. Webb Institute
20 year net ROI: $854,000
Total cost for four years: $209,000
Average loan amount: $25,200
5. SUNY, Maritime College
20 year net ROI: $857,000
Total cost for four years: $130,000
Average loan amount: $32,000
4. California Institute of Technology
20 year net ROI: $864,000
Total cost for four years: $240,000
Average loan amount: $19,000
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
20 year net ROI: $959,000
Total cost for four years: $240,000
Average loan amount: $32,200
2. Harvey Mudd College
20 year net ROI: $962,000
Total cost for four years: $260,000
Average loan amount: $24,400
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
20 year net ROI: $1,056,000
Total cost for four years: $33,100
Average loan amount: $12,300
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