Best Library Science and Administration 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
52
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$39,022
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$35,106
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Grad rate: 45.6% |
CO | +$413,422 | $65,008 | $23,369 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
CUNY Queens College
Grad rate: 58.4% |
NY | +$273,254 | $57,027 | $13,643 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
The Catholic University of America
Grad rate: 79.0% |
DC | +$199,184 | $59,279 | $73,198 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Sam Houston State University
Grad rate: 55.6% |
TX | +$183,326 | $53,618 | $24,517 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | +$174,434 | $53,529 | $28,073 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
San Jose State University
Grad rate: 66.2% |
CA | +$172,290 | $53,184 | $25,695 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
St. John's University-New York
Grad rate: 68.9% |
NY | +$140,078 | $55,197 | $61,931 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$128,736 | $51,465 | $30,282 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | +$127,896 | $51,379 | $29,842 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of Northern Iowa
Grad rate: 66.3% |
IA | +$126,566 | $50,491 | $21,627 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Indiana University-Bloomington
Grad rate: 81.2% |
IN | +$125,758 | $51,024 | $27,361 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Grad rate: 91.7% |
NC | +$99,878 | $49,512 | $25,181 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Southern Connecticut State University
Grad rate: 50.5% |
CT | +$90,696 | $49,394 | $28,592 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Long Island University
Grad rate: 51.8% |
NY | +$81,762 | $51,330 | $52,419 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate: 84.7% |
NJ | +$80,116 | $49,529 | $35,232 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$66,812 | $48,554 | $32,134 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Rhode Island
Grad rate: 71.4% |
RI | +$65,812 | $48,549 | $32,584 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Texas Woman's University
Grad rate: 46.2% |
TX | +$59,122 | $46,996 | $20,399 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
Appalachian State University
Grad rate: 74.1% |
NC | +$50,792 | $46,805 | $22,654 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Grad rate: 49.6% |
WI | +$48,772 | $46,656 | $22,174 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
East Carolina University
Grad rate: 63.6% |
NC | +$47,962 | $46,767 | $23,689 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Syracuse University
Grad rate: 82.4% |
NY | +$46,208 | $52,350 | $80,396 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
University of Iowa
Grad rate: 73.4% |
IA | +$42,834 | $46,830 | $26,883 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Pratt Institute-Main
Grad rate: 74.4% |
NY | +$37,054 | $51,506 | $76,533 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
University at Buffalo
Grad rate: 73.5% |
NY | +$34,994 | $46,654 | $29,043 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
PA | +$30,486 | $47,195 | $36,707 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Grad rate: 62.5% |
HI | +$25,736 | $45,670 | $23,832 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
Western Kentucky University
Grad rate: 52.5% |
KY | +$25,520 | $45,628 | $23,520 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | +$24,234 | $45,580 | $23,683 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of Central Missouri
Grad rate: 51.0% |
MO | +$20,948 | $45,256 | $22,086 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
St Catherine University
Grad rate: 64.5% |
MN | +$18,276 | $48,757 | $58,432 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Dominican University
Grad rate: 60.4% |
IL | +$16,372 | $47,260 | $44,414 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | +$12,700 | $45,412 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Grad rate: 73.0% |
TN | +$11,844 | $45,858 | $32,658 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
Simmons University
Grad rate: 73.0% |
MA | +$4,956 | $48,599 | $63,512 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of South Florida
Grad rate: 74.4% |
FL | -$3,342 | $44,063 | $22,301 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | -$15,596 | $49,688 | $84,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Wayne State University
Grad rate: 58.3% |
MI | -$16,048 | $43,877 | $26,794 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of North Texas
Grad rate: 59.2% |
TX | -$25,380 | $43,278 | $25,470 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
University of Arizona
Grad rate: 66.9% |
AZ | -$26,706 | $43,519 | $28,543 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Grad rate: 75.7% |
OK | -$27,386 | $43,514 | $28,833 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Emporia State University
Grad rate: 53.0% |
KS | -$29,414 | $42,582 | $20,527 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
The University of Alabama
Grad rate: 73.2% |
AL | -$36,648 | $43,370 | $32,024 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Grad rate: 78.0% |
SC | -$60,200 | $42,274 | $32,840 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
North Carolina Central University
Grad rate: 45.1% |
NC | -$75,536 | $40,785 | $25,618 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Grad rate: 55.1% |
IN | -$83,792 | $40,032 | $22,216 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of Denver
Grad rate: 77.7% |
CO | -$100,920 | $44,456 | $75,020 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
Drexel University
Grad rate: 77.6% |
PA | -$109,014 | $44,066 | $75,167 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Grad rate: 57.9% |
NC | -$112,396 | $38,343 | $19,628 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
University of Kentucky
Grad rate: 69.3% |
KY | -$112,462 | $39,606 | $32,291 | 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 Library Science and Administration Degrees by State
Browse Library Science and Administration programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.