Best Business/Managerial Economics 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
76
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$191,326
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$37,851
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Villanova University
Grad rate: 91.5% |
PA | +$931,826 | $106,587 | $80,866 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | +$743,604 | $83,356 | $20,879 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of San Diego
Grad rate: 82.1% |
CA | +$644,364 | $89,194 | $74,879 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | +$613,569 | $81,177 | $36,643 | $17,332 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Georgia College & State University
Grad rate: 62.0% |
GA | +$595,916 | $77,352 | $27,781 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Seton Hall University
Grad rate: 71.6% |
NJ | +$586,961 | $85,800 | $64,996 | $21,522 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Lehigh University
Grad rate: 90.2% |
PA | +$562,406 | $87,192 | $77,515 | $23,240 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of Miami
Grad rate: 84.2% |
FL | +$544,294 | $85,811 | $77,708 | $15,625 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of Idaho
Grad rate: 61.0% |
ID | +$522,604 | $74,419 | $22,669 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Pace University
Grad rate: 61.4% |
NY | +$430,472 | $77,142 | $68,092 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Grad rate: 86.3% |
VA | +$411,340 | $68,975 | $32,040 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of Arizona
Grad rate: 66.9% |
AZ | +$363,231 | $67,313 | $28,543 | $21,375 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
The University of Alabama
Grad rate: 73.2% |
AL | +$351,042 | $67,420 | $32,024 | $21,675 | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of North Texas
Grad rate: 59.2% |
TX | +$313,631 | $63,729 | $25,470 | $14,125 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Seattle University
Grad rate: 73.8% |
WA | +$306,768 | $71,065 | $68,633 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | +$298,955 | $64,128 | $29,320 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Georgia
Grad rate: 87.6% |
GA | +$295,450 | $63,773 | $27,436 | $22,419 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Grand Valley State University
Grad rate: 67.4% |
MI | +$282,978 | $63,152 | $26,578 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Miami University-Oxford
Grad rate: 81.3% |
OH | +$281,428 | $65,135 | $37,218 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Kennesaw State University
Grad rate: 47.2% |
GA | +$269,750 | $61,913 | $24,618 | $22,250 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
DePaul University
Grad rate: 69.7% |
IL | +$261,762 | $68,444 | $59,467 | $21,666 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of California-Davis
Grad rate: 85.7% |
CA | +$247,862 | $62,884 | $38,067 | $13,000 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Grad rate: 54.2% |
IL | +$245,488 | $60,652 | $25,302 | $19,514 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Grad rate: 78.0% |
SC | +$244,130 | $62,462 | $32,840 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
Grad rate: 72.8% |
NY | +$233,036 | $57,166 | $13,521 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Grad rate: 84.6% |
NC | +$231,420 | $60,263 | $25,613 | $23,250 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of Louisville
Grad rate: 61.4% |
KY | +$229,500 | $60,808 | $30,843 | $17,250 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 70.7% |
PA | +$227,844 | $58,904 | $27,559 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Marquette University
Grad rate: 81.3% |
WI | +$212,093 | $66,905 | $63,233 | $24,500 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of California-Santa Cruz
Grad rate: 75.7% |
CA | +$211,949 | $61,441 | $38,649 | $16,500 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Bentley University
Grad rate: 88.1% |
MA | +$205,262 | $69,502 | $77,082 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Dayton
Grad rate: 81.4% |
OH | +$194,880 | $66,263 | $64,310 | $24,548 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Ashford University
Grad rate: 9.3% |
CA | +$193,052 | $60,293 | $30,866 | $36,551 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Westmont College
Grad rate: 71.8% |
CA | +$190,506 | $66,978 | $68,826 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Texas State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
TX | +$186,629 | $58,162 | $26,348 | $23,125 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
Grad rate: 64.9% |
VA | +$177,551 | $59,198 | $34,346 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Saint Cloud State University
Grad rate: 45.5% |
MN | +$168,124 | $54,684 | $21,389 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
University of Nevada-Reno
Grad rate: 62.1% |
NV | +$165,632 | $55,222 | $24,702 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
SUNY Oneonta
Grad rate: 72.3% |
NY | +$162,541 | $56,981 | $27,258 | $20,775 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Grad rate: 72.5% |
NC | +$158,068 | $55,086 | $25,913 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Marshall University
Grad rate: 49.2% |
WV | +$156,324 | $54,076 | $21,299 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
West Virginia University
Grad rate: 61.7% |
WV | +$148,196 | $55,748 | $23,678 | $23,742 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Central Florida
Grad rate: 75.4% |
FL | +$134,952 | $54,871 | $22,819 | $23,105 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Wheaton College
Grad rate: 87.4% |
IL | +$132,992 | $61,559 | $56,447 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Arkansas
Grad rate: 69.6% |
AR | +$116,971 | $54,397 | $26,161 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Hampden-Sydney College
Grad rate: 70.0% |
VA | +$115,534 | $63,023 | $67,129 | $26,970 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of South Florida
Grad rate: 74.4% |
FL | +$115,316 | $52,226 | $22,301 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
The University of Texas at El Paso
Grad rate: 46.6% |
TX | +$114,152 | $51,573 | $19,327 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Northern Arizona University
Grad rate: 58.0% |
AZ | +$98,301 | $54,368 | $29,495 | $23,021 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
State University of New York at Cortland
Grad rate: 68.5% |
NY | +$97,108 | $53,893 | $26,413 | $26,000 | 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/Managerial Economics Degrees by State
Browse Business/Managerial Economics programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.