Best Business/Commerce, 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
81
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$771,386
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$40,846
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Northwestern University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
IL | +$3,307,912 | $216,176 | $87,804 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Grad rate: 95.5% |
MA | +$2,643,960 | $182,183 | $79,850 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Emory University
Grad rate: 90.9% |
GA | +$2,000,952 | $149,929 | $78,814 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Michigan State University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
MI | +$1,754,744 | $132,790 | $30,528 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | +$1,591,660 | $124,360 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Indiana University-Bloomington
Grad rate: 81.2% |
IN | +$1,578,158 | $123,644 | $27,361 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate: 95.3% |
VA | +$1,490,976 | $120,362 | $38,132 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 | Northeastern University Professional Programs | MA | +$1,367,840 | $110,392 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Johns Hopkins University
Grad rate: 94.3% |
MD | +$1,284,380 | $114,349 | $81,300 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
Drexel University
Grad rate: 77.6% |
PA | +$1,278,786 | $113,456 | $75,167 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Grad rate: 55.1% |
IN | +$1,275,868 | $108,015 | $22,216 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Grad rate: 66.8% |
CO | +$1,220,908 | $106,015 | $29,696 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Northeastern University
Grad rate: 90.8% |
MA | +$1,205,134 | $110,392 | $81,353 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | +$1,138,174 | $101,716 | $28,073 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Grad rate: 81.0% |
PA | +$1,106,714 | $103,887 | $65,513 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Georgia State University
Grad rate: 54.3% |
GA | +$1,040,090 | $96,658 | $26,535 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Missouri-Columbia
Grad rate: 75.7% |
MO | +$1,024,264 | $96,108 | $28,948 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Loyola Marymount University
Grad rate: 80.6% |
CA | +$988,646 | $99,019 | $75,867 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of Denver
Grad rate: 77.7% |
CO | +$984,300 | $98,717 | $75,020 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Grad rate: 77.1% |
NH | +$955,646 | $93,239 | $34,567 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Indiana University-Northwest
Grad rate: 37.1% |
IN | +$945,678 | $90,621 | $13,371 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
West Virginia University
Grad rate: 61.7% |
WV | +$941,144 | $91,425 | $23,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
University of Missouri-St Louis
Grad rate: 54.4% |
MO | +$922,296 | $90,859 | $27,442 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Grad rate: 34.1% |
IN | +$891,212 | $88,532 | $19,714 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Creighton University
Grad rate: 79.5% |
NE | +$837,188 | $89,964 | $61,046 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Grad rate: 56.0% |
MO | +$833,490 | $86,139 | $24,645 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Tulane University of Louisiana
Grad rate: 88.2% |
LA | +$820,738 | $91,413 | $83,761 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Utah Valley University
Grad rate: 40.0% |
UT | +$812,136 | $84,124 | $15,172 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Belmont University
Grad rate: 72.1% |
TN | +$801,600 | $88,128 | $60,480 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of Charleston
Grad rate: 44.2% |
WV | +$790,138 | $85,910 | $44,031 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Grand Valley State University
Grad rate: 67.4% |
MI | +$775,924 | $83,454 | $26,578 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Central Florida
Grad rate: 75.4% |
FL | +$767,982 | $82,681 | $22,819 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
Houston Christian University
Grad rate: 49.5% |
TX | +$739,790 | $83,750 | $47,605 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Indiana University-South Bend
Grad rate: 35.9% |
IN | +$735,212 | $80,359 | $15,984 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
Grad rate: 64.9% |
VA | +$730,908 | $81,980 | $34,346 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
Post University
Grad rate: 33.8% |
CT | +$726,596 | $81,050 | $27,202 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Northern Kentucky University
Grad rate: 49.2% |
KY | +$716,418 | $79,768 | $19,471 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
University of Louisville
Grad rate: 61.4% |
KY | +$706,734 | $80,421 | $30,843 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Grad rate: 62.9% |
WI | +$694,658 | $78,599 | $18,661 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | +$673,774 | $78,057 | $23,683 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Georgia College & State University
Grad rate: 62.0% |
GA | +$668,258 | $78,191 | $27,781 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
University of Kentucky
Grad rate: 69.3% |
KY | +$661,058 | $78,282 | $32,291 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Jacksonville State University
Grad rate: 51.7% |
AL | +$616,256 | $75,155 | $23,422 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Ball State University
Grad rate: 63.6% |
IN | +$609,792 | $75,003 | $25,134 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
Mercer University
Grad rate: 73.5% |
GA | +$601,192 | $77,709 | $56,494 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Grad rate: 85.3% |
CA | +$590,104 | $74,497 | $29,918 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
Indiana University-Kokomo
Grad rate: 43.3% |
IN | +$587,618 | $72,716 | $13,351 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
The College of Saint Scholastica
Grad rate: 65.0% |
MN | +$576,742 | $76,144 | $53,069 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Seattle Pacific University
Grad rate: 63.8% |
WA | +$570,788 | $75,938 | $53,986 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
The Catholic University of America
Grad rate: 79.0% |
DC | +$569,244 | $77,782 | $73,198 | 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 Business/Commerce, General Degrees by State
Browse Business/Commerce, General programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.