Best History 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
474
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$237,292
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$36,308
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Amherst College
Grad rate: 92.7% |
MA | +$506,000 | $84,030 | $83,650 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Duke University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
NC | +$490,314 | $83,943 | $82,749 | $13,000 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Cornell University
Grad rate: 95.2% |
NY | +$260,782 | $72,818 | $83,196 | $16,884 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Washington and Lee University
Grad rate: 94.9% |
VA | +$174,340 | $67,315 | $82,990 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Grad rate: 71.5% |
SC | +$142,790 | $57,251 | $31,943 | $25,524 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
College of Staten Island CUNY
Grad rate: 33.7% |
NY | +$126,289 | $51,985 | $14,084 | $12,648 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Purdue University Northwest
Grad rate: 44.2% |
IN | +$116,232 | $51,069 | $16,287 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of Chicago
Grad rate: 95.2% |
IL | +$115,536 | $65,148 | $86,856 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
The University of Texas at Dallas
Grad rate: 70.2% |
TX | +$108,530 | $54,621 | $28,210 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Virginia Military Institute
Grad rate: 79.2% |
VA | +$102,823 | $55,205 | $33,738 | $19,500 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Rice University
Grad rate: 94.7% |
TX | +$89,460 | $61,295 | $74,110 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Wichita State University
Grad rate: 51.5% |
KS | +$63,144 | $49,370 | $21,064 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Texas Southmost College
Grad rate: 29.7% |
TX | +$60,812 | $47,338 | $11,487 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Loyola University Chicago
Grad rate: 73.9% |
IL | +$42,372 | $58,572 | $64,167 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Dartmouth College
Grad rate: 95.4% |
NH | +$41,282 | $62,107 | $83,802 | $19,000 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Kansas State University
Grad rate: 69.5% |
KS | +$31,658 | $49,990 | $25,441 | $19,539 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
SUNY Old Westbury
Grad rate: 47.4% |
NY | +$26,684 | $48,455 | $19,934 | $16,800 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Harvard University
Grad rate: 97.5% |
MA | +$18,318 | $60,343 | $82,842 | $12,721 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
The University of Texas at Arlington
Grad rate: 55.1% |
TX | -$41 | $48,730 | $25,265 | $24,875 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | -$3,293 | $59,624 | $84,678 | $12,638 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Grad rate: 44.8% |
TX | -$5,908 | $46,157 | $22,262 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of Utah
Grad rate: 64.2% |
UT | -$9,393 | $47,392 | $21,799 | $22,250 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Washington State University
Grad rate: 62.0% |
WA | -$11,924 | $48,459 | $27,176 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate: 95.3% |
VA | -$12,073 | $50,329 | $38,132 | $19,352 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Washington & Jefferson College
Grad rate: 72.9% |
PA | -$17,958 | $55,948 | $65,117 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
The College of New Jersey
Grad rate: 85.5% |
NJ | -$19,470 | $50,128 | $37,070 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
California State University-East Bay
Grad rate: 45.5% |
CA | -$19,952 | $46,913 | $22,803 | $20,000 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of New Orleans
Grad rate: 40.5% |
LA | -$22,620 | $45,390 | $22,605 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
College of the Holy Cross
Grad rate: 90.3% |
MA | -$24,090 | $57,920 | $76,510 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Clayton State University
Grad rate: 35.0% |
GA | -$29,940 | $44,091 | $17,940 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Yale University
Grad rate: 97.0% |
CT | -$34,480 | $58,110 | $85,120 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 96.5% |
PA | -$35,522 | $58,114 | $85,738 | $11,000 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Texas Woman's University
Grad rate: 46.2% |
TX | -$41,164 | $45,715 | $20,399 | $25,088 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Grad rate: 85.3% |
CA | -$41,748 | $47,086 | $29,918 | $17,627 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Grad rate: 84.6% |
NC | -$42,902 | $46,314 | $25,613 | $19,800 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Texas Christian University
Grad rate: 84.7% |
TX | -$44,472 | $54,332 | $72,778 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Mississippi
Grad rate: 68.1% |
MS | -$45,673 | $46,787 | $27,692 | $22,700 | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Bates College
Grad rate: 91.6% |
ME | -$48,540 | $55,661 | $80,440 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Stonehill College
Grad rate: 79.9% |
MA | -$50,928 | $53,136 | $68,412 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online
Grad rate: 14.6% |
NH | -$53,294 | $44,870 | $19,236 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of California-Irvine
Grad rate: 86.3% |
CA | -$55,748 | $47,512 | $36,121 | $15,929 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of North Texas
Grad rate: 59.2% |
TX | -$63,278 | $45,461 | $25,470 | $22,680 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Maryland Global Campus
Grad rate: 23.6% |
MD | -$66,302 | $44,246 | $19,790 | $23,750 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Grad rate: 64.1% |
NH | -$66,770 | $44,870 | $22,605 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Houston-Downtown
Grad rate: 32.3% |
TX | -$67,951 | $45,003 | $23,017 | $26,625 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Montclair State University
Grad rate: 64.8% |
NJ | -$68,289 | $45,492 | $25,926 | $25,500 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Grad rate: 62.5% |
HI | -$73,217 | $44,252 | $23,832 | $16,985 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Grad rate: 70.5% |
MD | -$73,234 | $45,362 | $27,935 | $21,285 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
William & Mary
Grad rate: 91.0% |
VA | -$75,414 | $47,651 | $41,118 | $17,750 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Siena College
Grad rate: 76.2% |
NY | -$77,846 | $52,396 | $62,329 | $27,000 | 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 History Degrees by State
Browse History programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.