Best Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 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
87
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$123,629
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$15,512
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
California State University-Fresno
Grad rate: 55.5% |
CA | +$300,450 | $57,955 | $18,650 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Macomb Community College
Grad rate: 13.9% |
MI | +$297,401 | $57,406 | $10,719 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Bellevue College
Grad rate: 32.4% |
WA | +$252,522 | $55,616 | $19,798 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Grad rate: 55.1% |
IN | +$230,504 | $54,636 | $22,216 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Indiana University-Bloomington
Grad rate: 81.2% |
IN | +$146,184 | $52,061 | $27,361 | $20,500 | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Glendale Community College
Grad rate: 14.4% |
AZ | +$144,884 | $50,147 | $18,056 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Austin Community College District
Grad rate: 16.1% |
TX | +$137,504 | $49,433 | $11,156 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Wake Technical Community College
Grad rate: 31.3% |
NC | +$122,322 | $48,956 | $16,798 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Grad rate: 74.9% |
CO | +$118,014 | $49,574 | $33,466 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 | United States University | CA | +$106,102 | $48,723 | $28,358 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Folsom Lake College
Grad rate: 38.6% |
CA | +$96,527 | $47,438 | $12,233 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of Mary Washington
Grad rate: 68.1% |
VA | +$94,666 | $48,195 | $29,234 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Mission College
Grad rate: 42.6% |
CA | +$89,073 | $47,206 | $15,047 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Delgado Community College
Grad rate: 19.3% |
LA | +$65,967 | $47,872 | $19,137 | $23,952 | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Anne Arundel Community College
Grad rate: 26.5% |
MD | +$58,652 | $45,960 | $20,548 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Delta College
Grad rate: 15.9% |
MI | +$20,707 | $43,633 | $11,953 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
San Diego Miramar College
Grad rate: 43.1% |
CA | +$10,337 | $43,527 | $11,428 | $6,500 | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Santiago Canyon College
Grad rate: 46.3% |
CA | -$482 | $42,978 | $12,617 | $5,500 | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Orange Coast College
Grad rate: 45.2% |
CA | -$3,031 | $42,508 | $13,191 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Los Angeles Valley College
Grad rate: 36.0% |
CA | -$24,303 | $42,332 | $18,625 | $9,125 | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Napa Valley College
Grad rate: 31.7% |
CA | -$39,023 | $41,127 | $21,563 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Grad rate: 49.6% |
WI | -$40,973 | $43,040 | $22,174 | $29,333 | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Elgin Community College
Grad rate: 38.9% |
IL | -$46,017 | $40,191 | $9,837 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Mid Michigan College
Grad rate: 14.2% |
MI | -$47,171 | $41,334 | $14,816 | $14,100 | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Germanna Community College
Grad rate: 38.8% |
VA | -$51,230 | $40,605 | $12,278 | $8,187 | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Modesto Junior College
Grad rate: 25.4% |
CA | -$53,486 | $40,541 | $14,769 | $7,065 | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Hartnell College
Grad rate: 31.0% |
CA | -$54,925 | $40,295 | $12,050 | $6,500 | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Vincennes University
Grad rate: 34.1% |
IN | -$61,666 | $40,699 | $19,446 | $12,000 | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Riverside City College
Grad rate: 32.3% |
CA | -$66,727 | $39,285 | $12,427 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Louisiana Delta Community College
Grad rate: 24.9% |
LA | -$67,941 | $39,300 | $13,941 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
College of Southern Maryland
Grad rate: 32.7% |
MD | -$73,563 | $39,558 | $13,570 | $8,262 | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
College of the Canyons
Grad rate: 43.4% |
CA | -$79,605 | $39,055 | $10,243 | $7,750 | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Indiana University-East
Grad rate: 44.0% |
IN | -$88,096 | $38,433 | $16,756 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Grad rate: 48.2% |
WI | -$90,003 | $38,280 | $15,603 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
American River College
Grad rate: 29.5% |
CA | -$93,166 | $37,991 | $12,986 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Shasta College
Grad rate: 30.2% |
CA | -$99,486 | $38,261 | $11,881 | $9,500 | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Cuesta College
Grad rate: 44.0% |
CA | -$108,041 | $37,626 | $20,561 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
San Diego City College
Grad rate: 23.9% |
CA | -$108,347 | $37,781 | $13,255 | $7,935 | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Santa Ana College
Grad rate: 29.2% |
CA | -$116,104 | $37,275 | $11,848 | $7,227 | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Henry Ford College
Grad rate: 11.0% |
MI | -$116,135 | $38,363 | $9,983 | $24,750 | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Isothermal Community College
Grad rate: 50.9% |
NC | -$122,821 | $36,539 | $13,601 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Chesapeake College
Grad rate: 24.9% |
MD | -$122,935 | $36,729 | $10,090 | $5,500 | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Durham Technical Community College
Grad rate: 29.7% |
NC | -$123,705 | $36,352 | $10,745 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Northern Virginia Community College
Grad rate: 36.3% |
VA | -$136,933 | $36,670 | $15,821 | $10,750 | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Blue Ridge Community College
Grad rate: 34.0% |
VA | -$139,074 | $36,375 | $15,437 | $8,250 | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
San Diego Mesa College
Grad rate: 33.8% |
CA | -$144,372 | $35,843 | $12,964 | $6,125 | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Pitt Community College
Grad rate: 28.0% |
NC | -$147,807 | $35,400 | $15,807 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Yavapai College
Grad rate: 32.1% |
AZ | -$160,110 | $35,326 | $12,642 | $10,362 | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
East Arkansas Community College
Grad rate: 43.1% |
AR | -$165,748 | $34,904 | $13,028 | $8,000 | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
Wilkes Community College
Grad rate: 53.5% |
NC | -$167,114 | $34,169 | $10,494 | 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 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Degrees by State
Browse Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.