Best Philosophy 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
75
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$223,658
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$38,384
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Vanderbilt University
Grad rate: 92.7% |
TN | +$452,512 | $81,508 | $84,412 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate: 95.3% |
VA | +$388,974 | $70,122 | $38,132 | $15,509 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | +$233,566 | $60,654 | $28,073 | $20,164 | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 96.5% |
PA | +$172,833 | $69,038 | $85,738 | $18,500 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
University of Florida
Grad rate: 90.7% |
FL | +$169,601 | $55,986 | $21,719 | $17,217 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | +$106,366 | $54,954 | $29,320 | $26,247 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Fordham University
Grad rate: 81.8% |
NY | +$104,007 | $64,223 | $77,351 | $22,999 | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Grad rate: 27.4% |
AZ | +$97,062 | $48,625 | N/A | $26,250 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Grad rate: 86.3% |
VA | +$11,600 | $48,988 | $32,040 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | -$15,125 | $48,625 | $28,047 | $26,250 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Grad rate: 66.5% |
CA | -$23,888 | $45,340 | $22,672 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
San Francisco State University
Grad rate: 52.2% |
CA | -$35,952 | $46,469 | $25,258 | $18,000 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
California State University-Northridge
Grad rate: 56.1% |
CA | -$80,828 | $42,022 | $20,317 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of Scranton
Grad rate: 80.3% |
PA | -$88,610 | $52,951 | $67,795 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
The Catholic University of America
Grad rate: 79.0% |
DC | -$103,020 | $53,098 | $73,198 | $23,843 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | -$104,680 | $43,995 | $29,842 | $18,676 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Clemson University
Grad rate: 86.6% |
SC | -$104,796 | $43,659 | $34,494 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Marquette University
Grad rate: 81.3% |
WI | -$114,732 | $48,910 | $63,233 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | -$129,202 | $43,881 | $36,643 | $15,000 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | -$135,008 | $42,942 | $32,134 | $18,750 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
California State University-Long Beach
Grad rate: 71.3% |
CA | -$136,369 | $40,545 | $20,310 | $19,281 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | -$141,016 | $39,125 | $20,879 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Loyola University Chicago
Grad rate: 73.9% |
IL | -$142,593 | $49,427 | $64,167 | $25,530 | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Western Carolina University
Grad rate: 59.8% |
NC | -$179,428 | $36,840 | $19,057 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
St Olaf College
Grad rate: 84.2% |
MN | -$186,010 | $48,092 | $69,200 | $23,000 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Grad rate: 48.7% |
NV | -$196,335 | $37,590 | $19,440 | $22,500 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | -$207,566 | $38,070 | $23,683 | $25,359 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of California-Santa Barbara
Grad rate: 85.5% |
CA | -$215,934 | $39,571 | $36,776 | $15,000 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
St. John Vianney College Seminary
Grad rate: 100.0% |
FL | -$218,460 | $31,077 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Rutgers University-Newark
Grad rate: 66.9% |
NJ | -$222,966 | $39,289 | $33,749 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Rutgers University-Camden
Grad rate: 65.7% |
NJ | -$223,218 | $39,289 | $33,812 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Grad rate: 68.5% |
WA | -$226,273 | $36,490 | $24,462 | $13,500 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Grad rate: 70.4% |
LA | -$226,883 | $38,863 | $34,328 | $19,875 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
University of California-Irvine
Grad rate: 86.3% |
CA | -$228,525 | $39,398 | $36,121 | $23,705 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate: 84.7% |
NJ | -$228,898 | $39,289 | $35,232 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
California State University-Fullerton
Grad rate: 69.3% |
CA | -$229,668 | $33,870 | $16,767 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Toledo
Grad rate: 55.2% |
OH | -$230,100 | $35,733 | $26,190 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 66.2% |
PA | -$230,374 | $37,260 | $24,781 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Temple University
Grad rate: 76.3% |
PA | -$238,246 | $39,735 | $39,799 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Grad rate: 43.9% |
CO | -$244,600 | $36,436 | $23,713 | $28,495 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Texas State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
TX | -$246,472 | $36,701 | $26,348 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Grad rate: 74.9% |
CO | -$249,148 | $37,938 | $33,466 | $25,218 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | -$249,553 | $36,490 | $30,282 | $13,500 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Grad rate: 29.5% |
CO | -$264,220 | $33,354 | $22,825 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Boston University
Grad rate: 89.5% |
MA | -$264,678 | $47,043 | $82,694 | $25,750 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Grad rate: 84.6% |
MN | -$264,957 | $36,006 | $29,013 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of California-Davis
Grad rate: 85.7% |
CA | -$282,268 | $36,391 | $38,067 | $13,200 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Grad rate: 73.0% |
TN | -$283,362 | $36,051 | $32,658 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Grad rate: 49.6% |
WI | -$290,401 | $33,636 | $22,174 | $25,500 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
California State University-Sacramento
Grad rate: 55.1% |
CA | -$291,571 | $32,979 | $22,714 | $15,034 | 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 Philosophy Degrees by State
Browse Philosophy programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.