Best Public Health 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
144
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$191,096
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$33,033
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Illinois State University
Grad rate: 66.7% |
IL | +$523,630 | $76,175 | $32,458 | $22,250 | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Montana Technological University
Grad rate: 57.4% |
MT | +$298,950 | $63,094 | $21,620 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 70.7% |
PA | +$270,724 | $61,048 | $27,559 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Oakland University
Grad rate: 57.3% |
MI | +$239,543 | $61,056 | $25,016 | $30,750 | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
American Public University System
Grad rate: 54.3% |
WV | +$139,719 | $54,215 | $16,358 | $28,999 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
University of Central Oklahoma
Grad rate: 36.4% |
OK | +$130,554 | $55,170 | $25,913 | $21,625 | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Grad rate: 66.4% |
WI | +$64,464 | $49,426 | $21,014 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Indiana University-Bloomington
Grad rate: 81.2% |
IN | +$47,395 | $51,171 | $27,361 | $19,689 | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Grad rate: 66.8% |
CO | +$45,916 | $51,990 | $29,696 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$7,008 | $50,173 | $32,134 | $20,678 | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Texas Southern University
Grad rate: 22.5% |
TX | +$6,124 | $47,286 | $24,899 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate: 84.7% |
NJ | +$2,532 | $50,928 | $35,232 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
CUNY Hunter College
Grad rate: 58.7% |
NY | +$2,240 | $44,774 | $13,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | -$14,955 | $48,365 | $29,320 | $18,500 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Johns Hopkins University
Grad rate: 94.3% |
MD | -$17,232 | $58,259 | $81,300 | $12,750 | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate: 93.5% |
CA | -$41,086 | $49,279 | $42,708 | $11,729 | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Georgia
Grad rate: 87.6% |
GA | -$50,389 | $46,419 | $27,436 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Grad rate: 58.5% |
WA | -$50,493 | $45,494 | $24,528 | $16,490 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Purdue University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 83.1% |
IN | -$51,493 | $45,390 | $22,567 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Grad rate: 83.1% |
MA | -$55,576 | $47,654 | $33,389 | $26,000 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Western Carolina University
Grad rate: 59.8% |
NC | -$59,251 | $44,627 | $19,057 | $26,343 | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
California State University-Northridge
Grad rate: 56.1% |
CA | -$64,128 | $43,802 | $20,317 | $14,000 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | -$66,433 | $46,098 | $29,842 | $21,500 | Full ROI → |
| 24 | Walden University | MN | -$69,500 | $41,616 | N/A | $45,793 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | -$73,509 | $45,494 | $30,282 | $16,490 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | -$75,968 | $45,081 | $26,972 | $22,000 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Northern Arizona University
Grad rate: 58.0% |
AZ | -$79,717 | $45,550 | $29,495 | $24,250 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Winona State University
Grad rate: 60.7% |
MN | -$90,356 | $43,572 | $23,373 | $20,966 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
St Petersburg College
Grad rate: 37.9% |
FL | -$91,874 | $41,499 | $10,634 | $29,125 | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of Utah
Grad rate: 64.2% |
UT | -$95,631 | $42,557 | $21,799 | $14,500 | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | -$99,774 | $44,207 | $28,073 | $23,424 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
George Washington University
Grad rate: 85.0% |
DC | -$100,487 | $54,729 | $80,727 | $23,822 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 44.8% |
PA | -$100,803 | $43,673 | $24,369 | $27,250 | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
CUNY Lehman College
Grad rate: 51.2% |
NY | -$101,132 | $40,675 | $13,456 | $15,414 | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Grad rate: 68.8% |
NC | -$101,906 | $43,134 | $22,034 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of Florida-Online
Grad rate: 78.1% |
FL | -$107,797 | $41,204 | $17,036 | $17,580 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Grad rate: 41.7% |
AR | -$111,932 | $40,606 | $21,013 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Montclair State University
Grad rate: 64.8% |
NJ | -$120,774 | $42,969 | $25,926 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Grad rate: 70.6% |
MA | -$122,234 | $43,615 | $29,521 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of Delaware
Grad rate: 79.2% |
DE | -$122,278 | $43,443 | $29,347 | $25,000 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 66.2% |
PA | -$124,871 | $42,535 | $24,781 | $26,998 | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Florida
Grad rate: 90.7% |
FL | -$126,529 | $41,204 | $21,719 | $17,580 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Delaware State University
Grad rate: 42.1% |
DE | -$126,754 | $42,992 | $27,536 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Central Washington University
Grad rate: 51.0% |
WA | -$128,632 | $41,970 | $25,148 | $20,326 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
California State University-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 52.0% |
CA | -$135,067 | $39,521 | $17,153 | $12,500 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Grad rate: 55.1% |
IN | -$136,301 | $41,128 | $22,216 | $22,220 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Indiana University-Northwest
Grad rate: 37.1% |
IN | -$136,384 | $39,700 | $13,371 | $27,334 | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of St Thomas
Grad rate: 77.3% |
MN | -$140,646 | $49,727 | $64,684 | $27,000 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Grad rate: 53.7% |
OR | -$141,344 | $42,045 | $27,461 | $24,000 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
Grad rate: 32.9% |
LA | -$147,592 | $38,467 | $19,233 | 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 Public Health Degrees by State
Browse Public Health programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.