Best Business/Commerce, General Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

245

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$2,384

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$36,605

Cost of attendance

# College State 20-Yr Net ROI Median Salary Annual Cost Avg Debt
1 University of Virginia-Main Campus

Grad rate: 95.3%

 VA +$926,252 $95,939 $38,132 N/A Full ROI →
2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Grad rate: 95.5%

 MA +$784,320 $97,186 $79,850 N/A Full ROI →
3 Texas Tech University

Grad rate: 67.1%

 TX +$713,272 $83,158 $27,472 N/A Full ROI →
4 New York University

Grad rate: 87.8%

 NY +$689,431 $93,612 $79,121 $19,500 Full ROI →
5 Bethel University

Grad rate: 39.3%

 TN +$600,480 $78,478 $32,270 N/A Full ROI →
6 Texas A&M University-College Station

Grad rate: 83.7%

 TX +$597,420 $78,288 $32,085 N/A Full ROI →
7 Indiana University-Bloomington

Grad rate: 81.2%

 IN +$588,751 $78,226 $27,361 $19,500 Full ROI →
8 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Grad rate: 85.3%

 CA +$525,148 $74,241 $29,918 N/A Full ROI →
9 University of Notre Dame

Grad rate: 96.6%

 IN +$409,836 $78,534 $80,211 N/A Full ROI →
10 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Grad rate: 66.5%

 MN +$409,620 $73,455 $54,870 N/A Full ROI →
11 Baylor University

Grad rate: 80.8%

 TX +$378,810 $75,979 $70,130 $15,000 Full ROI →
12 Northeastern University

Grad rate: 90.8%

 MA +$375,868 $78,684 $81,353 $24,000 Full ROI →
13 Excelsior University NY +$366,570 $61,881 N/A $23,000 Full ROI →
14 Wake Forest University

Grad rate: 90.3%

 NC +$337,254 $76,702 $82,818 $18,899 Full ROI →
15 CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY +$336,485 $59,803 N/A $14,500 Full ROI →
16 Wittenberg University

Grad rate: 55.6%

 OH +$319,248 $69,233 $56,353 N/A Full ROI →
17 Rollins College

Grad rate: 77.3%

 FL +$318,240 $74,225 $72,790 $26,000 Full ROI →
18 Walsh College MI +$308,600 $58,645 N/A $18,000 Full ROI →
19 Northeastern Illinois University

Grad rate: 17.7%

 IL +$271,734 $62,229 $27,208 $17,788 Full ROI →
20 Liberty University

Grad rate: 64.5%

 VA +$249,312 $62,807 $41,707 N/A Full ROI →
21 University of Rochester

Grad rate: 87.0%

 NY +$237,040 $70,372 $82,600 N/A Full ROI →
22 William Penn University

Grad rate: 29.5%

 IA +$233,844 $61,842 $40,749 N/A Full ROI →
23 Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Grad rate: 66.8%

 CO +$229,316 $59,405 $29,696 N/A Full ROI →
24 Seattle Pacific University

Grad rate: 63.8%

 WA +$221,556 $65,360 $53,986 $22,000 Full ROI →
25 Pace University

Grad rate: 61.4%

 NY +$183,342 $66,878 $68,092 $31,000 Full ROI →
26 Saint Mary's College of California

Grad rate: 70.4%

 CA +$182,500 $67,476 $73,655 $24,000 Full ROI →
27 University of Missouri-Columbia

Grad rate: 75.7%

 MO +$182,363 $58,359 $28,948 $21,500 Full ROI →
28 Southwestern University

Grad rate: 70.5%

 TX +$179,428 $65,420 $63,645 $25,475 Full ROI →
29 Concordia University Texas

Grad rate: 39.7%

 TX +$179,381 $63,963 $52,098 $38,138 Full ROI →
30 University of Oregon

Grad rate: 72.5%

 OR +$156,711 $57,814 $32,636 $21,500 Full ROI →
31 Strayer University-Mississippi MS +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
32 Strayer University-Arkansas AR +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
33 Strayer University-Virginia

Grad rate: 23.4%

 VA +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
34 Strayer University-New Jersey NJ +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
35 Strayer University-North Carolina NC +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
36 Strayer University-Delaware DE +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
37 Strayer University-District of Columbia DC +$143,162 $52,973 N/A $56,517 Full ROI →
38 Aurora University

Grad rate: 59.0%

 IL +$139,672 $56,830 $39,232 N/A Full ROI →
39 Drexel University

Grad rate: 77.6%

 PA +$139,192 $63,993 $75,167 N/A Full ROI →
40 Washington College

Grad rate: 72.7%

 MD +$133,266 $64,524 $70,191 $27,000 Full ROI →
41 DeVry University-Arizona

Grad rate: 31.4%

 AZ +$127,731 $51,575 N/A $47,236 Full ROI →
42 DeVry University-Florida

Grad rate: 22.5%

 FL +$127,731 $51,575 N/A $47,236 Full ROI →
43 DeVry University-Texas

Grad rate: 14.3%

 TX +$127,731 $51,575 N/A $47,236 Full ROI →
44 DeVry University-Nevada NV +$127,731 $51,575 N/A $47,236 Full ROI →
45 DeVry University-Ohio

Grad rate: 31.5%

 OH +$127,731 $51,575 N/A $47,236 Full ROI →
46 University of Houston-Clear Lake

Grad rate: 52.3%

 TX +$124,623 $54,593 $23,788 $23,766 Full ROI →
47 Mount Mercy University

Grad rate: 56.6%

 IA +$118,978 $60,703 $52,436 $33,583 Full ROI →
48 West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Grad rate: 35.0%

 WV +$117,364 $53,321 $18,343 $26,432 Full ROI →
49 Gonzaga University

Grad rate: 87.5%

 WA +$115,112 $63,183 $69,290 $23,250 Full ROI →
50 Eastern Connecticut State University

Grad rate: 59.1%

 CT +$112,205 $55,290 $30,805 $22,500 Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Business/Commerce, General Degrees by State

Browse Business/Commerce, General programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.

Alabama Best Business/Commerce, General → Arizona Best Business/Commerce, General → Arkansas Best Business/Commerce, General → California Best Business/Commerce, General → Colorado Best Business/Commerce, General → Connecticut Best Business/Commerce, General → Delaware Best Business/Commerce, General → Florida Best Business/Commerce, General → Georgia Best Business/Commerce, General → Idaho Best Business/Commerce, General → Illinois Best Business/Commerce, General → Indiana Best Business/Commerce, General → Iowa Best Business/Commerce, General → Kansas Best Business/Commerce, General → Kentucky Best Business/Commerce, General → Maine Best Business/Commerce, General → Maryland Best Business/Commerce, General → Massachusetts Best Business/Commerce, General → Michigan Best Business/Commerce, General → Minnesota Best Business/Commerce, General → Mississippi Best Business/Commerce, General → Missouri Best Business/Commerce, General → Montana Best Business/Commerce, General → Nebraska Best Business/Commerce, General → Nevada Best Business/Commerce, General → New Hampshire Best Business/Commerce, General → New Jersey Best Business/Commerce, General → New Mexico Best Business/Commerce, General → New York Best Business/Commerce, General → North Carolina Best Business/Commerce, General → Ohio Best Business/Commerce, General → Oklahoma Best Business/Commerce, General → Oregon Best Business/Commerce, General → Pennsylvania Best Business/Commerce, General → South Carolina Best Business/Commerce, General → Tennessee Best Business/Commerce, General → Texas Best Business/Commerce, General → Virginia Best Business/Commerce, General → Washington Best Business/Commerce, General → West Virginia Best Business/Commerce, General → Wisconsin Best Business/Commerce, General →