Best Engineering, 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

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$421,659

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$45,051

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	University of Alabama at Birmingham Grad rate: 63.4%	AL	+$1,224,996	$108,815	$27,826	N/A	Full ROI →
2	Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Grad rate: 92.9%	MA	+$903,044	$104,429	$81,486	$14,512	Full ROI →
3	University of California-Davis Grad rate: 85.7%	CA	+$779,362	$89,594	$38,067	$15,000	Full ROI →
4	University of North Carolina Asheville Grad rate: 56.8%	NC	+$770,186	$86,814	$21,061	$31,000	Full ROI →
5	University of Southern California Grad rate: 92.2%	CA	+$716,835	$94,963	$84,678	$2,750	Full ROI →
6	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Grad rate: 67.4%	AZ	+$618,219	$80,283	$28,047	$26,113	Full ROI →
7	Harvey Mudd College Grad rate: 92.9%	CA	+$600,732	$90,517	$84,896	$22,240	Full ROI →
8	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grad rate: 84.8%	IL	+$581,144	$77,484	$32,134	N/A	Full ROI →
9	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Grad rate: 71.8%	OH	+$578,848	$76,699	$28,783	N/A	Full ROI →
10	McNeese State University Grad rate: 49.4%	LA	+$578,001	$76,973	$21,168	$27,249	Full ROI →
11	University of the Pacific Grad rate: 70.5%	CA	+$568,488	$84,059	$68,173	N/A	Full ROI →
12	University of Alaska Anchorage Grad rate: 29.4%	AK	+$563,648	$74,552	$21,848	N/A	Full ROI →
13	Cornell University Grad rate: 95.2%	NY	+$525,316	$84,905	$83,196	N/A	Full ROI →
14	University of Southern Indiana Grad rate: 51.5%	IN	+$505,784	$71,439	$20,749	N/A	Full ROI →
15	Fort Lewis College Grad rate: 40.8%	CO	+$480,100	$73,037	$25,558	$28,450	Full ROI →
16	University of Alabama in Huntsville Grad rate: 62.4%	AL	+$468,988	$70,869	$27,098	N/A	Full ROI →
17	Dartmouth College Grad rate: 95.4%	NH	+$461,052	$81,813	$83,802	N/A	Full ROI →
18	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Grad rate: 52.7%	TN	+$456,868	$69,556	$23,563	N/A	Full ROI →
19	John Brown University Grad rate: 69.0%	AR	+$426,091	$73,677	$43,260	$25,488	Full ROI →
20	Brown University Grad rate: 95.5%	RI	+$416,141	$80,783	$84,986	$14,500	Full ROI →
21	Stony Brook University Grad rate: 77.8%	NY	+$408,864	$69,628	$29,174	$20,000	Full ROI →
22	East Carolina University Grad rate: 63.6%	NC	+$398,543	$68,486	$23,689	$26,978	Full ROI →
23	Olivet Nazarene University Grad rate: 63.3%	IL	+$397,722	$73,820	$50,557	$27,000	Full ROI →
24	James Madison University Grad rate: 81.0%	VA	+$389,758	$69,218	$30,213	$25,000	Full ROI →
25	Montana Technological University Grad rate: 57.4%	MT	+$387,900	$65,719	$21,620	N/A	Full ROI →
26	Minnesota State University-Mankato Grad rate: 53.3%	MN	+$364,563	$66,606	$22,565	$27,627	Full ROI →
27	Texas Christian University Grad rate: 84.7%	TX	+$363,833	$76,296	$72,778	$22,944	Full ROI →
28	Colorado School of Mines Grad rate: 80.5%	CO	+$363,796	$67,901	$38,556	N/A	Full ROI →
29	Mercer University Grad rate: 73.5%	GA	+$361,204	$73,114	$56,494	$26,000	Full ROI →
30	Hope College Grad rate: 81.3%	MI	+$360,986	$72,313	$52,206	$27,000	Full ROI →
31	Michigan State University Grad rate: 81.9%	MI	+$358,153	$67,532	$30,528	$22,500	Full ROI →
32	Calvin University Grad rate: 77.2%	MI	+$351,246	$71,772	$53,286	$23,000	Full ROI →
33	Lafayette College Grad rate: 88.6%	PA	+$350,984	$75,320	$78,854	N/A	Full ROI →
34	Elizabethtown College Grad rate: 76.6%	PA	+$340,898	$70,731	$49,318	$27,000	Full ROI →
35	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Grad rate: 70.7%	NY	+$322,708	$63,727	$27,958	N/A	Full ROI →
36	Arkansas State University Grad rate: 53.9%	AR	+$317,268	$62,428	$22,823	N/A	Full ROI →
37	Marshall University Grad rate: 49.2%	WV	+$315,354	$63,850	$21,299	$27,000	Full ROI →
38	College of Staten Island CUNY Grad rate: 33.7%	NY	+$306,424	$60,138	$14,084	N/A	Full ROI →
39	Walla Walla University Grad rate: 63.4%	WA	+$300,946	$67,727	$44,075	$27,625	Full ROI →
40	George Fox University Grad rate: 70.1%	OR	+$279,686	$68,898	$55,456	$27,000	Full ROI →
41	University of Virginia-Main Campus Grad rate: 95.3%	VA	+$264,392	$62,846	$38,132	N/A	Full ROI →
42	The University of Tennessee-Martin Grad rate: 53.8%	TN	+$248,245	$60,746	$21,628	$29,750	Full ROI →
43	Loyola University Maryland Grad rate: 79.5%	MD	+$228,686	$69,578	$71,606	$27,000	Full ROI →
44	Smith College Grad rate: 89.1%	MA	+$225,614	$70,990	$82,134	$19,000	Full ROI →
45	Geneva College Grad rate: 65.1%	PA	+$216,454	$63,258	$43,064	$27,000	Full ROI →
46	Wilkes University Grad rate: 59.8%	PA	+$205,956	$65,444	$56,956	$26,000	Full ROI →
47	Messiah University Grad rate: 78.4%	PA	+$189,956	$64,027	$53,939	$25,798	Full ROI →
48	Robert Morris University Grad rate: 65.1%	PA	+$146,200	$61,280	$51,075	$26,000	Full ROI →
49	University of Hartford Grad rate: 57.6%	CT	+$67,498	$59,652	$62,273	$27,000	Full ROI →
50	University of the Incarnate Word Grad rate: 52.5%	TX	+$25,280	$52,434	$45,850	N/A	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 Engineering, General Degrees by State

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