Best Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies 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
59
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$60,690
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$42,748
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Grad rate: 68.5% |
WA | +$733,496 | $81,121 | $24,462 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$721,856 | $81,121 | $30,282 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | +$375,316 | $63,463 | $26,972 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Clemson University
Grad rate: 86.6% |
SC | +$368,692 | $63,884 | $34,494 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Rutgers University-Newark
Grad rate: 66.9% |
NJ | +$272,642 | $59,007 | $33,749 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Rutgers University-Camden
Grad rate: 65.7% |
NJ | +$272,516 | $59,007 | $33,812 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate: 84.7% |
NJ | +$269,676 | $59,007 | $35,232 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Fairfield University
Grad rate: 84.0% |
CT | +$231,838 | $60,929 | $73,371 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | +$212,304 | $61,083 | $84,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
CUNY Hunter College
Grad rate: 58.7% |
NY | +$199,840 | $53,323 | $13,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
California State University-Fresno
Grad rate: 55.5% |
CA | +$98,180 | $48,774 | $18,650 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Chapman University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
CA | +$84,086 | $54,337 | $81,327 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Towson University
Grad rate: 68.7% |
MD | +$82,398 | $48,782 | $26,621 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of North Texas
Grad rate: 59.2% |
TX | +$78,260 | $48,460 | $25,470 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Texas State University
Grad rate: 56.0% |
TX | +$51,984 | $47,234 | $26,348 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 | Goddard College | VT | +$48,134 | $48,033 | $36,263 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Johns Hopkins University
Grad rate: 94.3% |
MD | +$44,980 | $52,379 | $81,300 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development
Grad rate: 25.8% |
NM | +$37,234 | $46,249 | $23,873 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
The University of Texas at El Paso
Grad rate: 46.6% |
TX | +$19,446 | $44,905 | $19,327 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Grad rate: 52.5% |
IL | -$51,956 | $42,329 | $29,268 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Queens University of Charlotte
Grad rate: 67.0% |
NC | -$56,988 | $44,845 | $56,944 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
CUNY City College
Grad rate: 56.6% |
NY | -$62,508 | $40,226 | $13,514 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Portland State University
Grad rate: 52.9% |
OR | -$63,078 | $41,091 | $22,449 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
University of Iowa
Grad rate: 73.4% |
IA | -$69,386 | $41,219 | $26,883 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Northern Arizona University
Grad rate: 58.0% |
AZ | -$78,190 | $41,040 | $29,495 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Norwich University
Grad rate: 61.1% |
VT | -$91,136 | $43,953 | $65,098 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
DePaul University
Grad rate: 69.7% |
IL | -$96,114 | $43,141 | $59,467 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Grad rate: 72.5% |
NC | -$99,066 | $39,638 | $25,913 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Spalding University
Grad rate: 51.3% |
KY | -$104,168 | $41,139 | $43,474 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Columbia College Chicago
Grad rate: 47.8% |
IL | -$104,818 | $41,739 | $49,799 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
San Francisco State University
Grad rate: 52.2% |
CA | -$118,216 | $38,615 | $25,258 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
California State University-San Bernardino
Grad rate: 54.5% |
CA | -$120,520 | $37,665 | $16,910 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
University of California-Riverside
Grad rate: 76.3% |
CA | -$123,130 | $39,341 | $34,975 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Emerson College
Grad rate: 78.2% |
MA | -$129,266 | $43,252 | $77,153 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
National University
Grad rate: 44.0% |
CA | -$131,752 | $39,124 | $37,116 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
The University of Tampa
Grad rate: 63.7% |
FL | -$137,242 | $40,122 | $49,841 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
CUNY Brooklyn College
Grad rate: 55.8% |
NY | -$155,506 | $35,582 | $13,573 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Grad rate: 53.7% |
OR | -$166,822 | $36,405 | $27,461 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
Hamline University
Grad rate: 63.4% |
MN | -$166,916 | $39,328 | $56,738 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
The University of Montana
Grad rate: 45.9% |
MT | -$170,088 | $35,870 | $23,744 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
Oregon State University
Grad rate: 70.3% |
OR | -$171,752 | $36,405 | $29,926 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 |
Seton Hill University
Grad rate: 71.3% |
PA | -$173,048 | $38,811 | $54,634 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Lindenwood University
Grad rate: 52.3% |
MO | -$182,184 | $36,235 | $33,442 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Grad rate: 53.3% |
MN | -$187,510 | $34,881 | $22,565 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
New York University
Grad rate: 87.8% |
NY | -$189,322 | $40,446 | $79,121 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 |
Eastern Washington University
Grad rate: 48.4% |
WA | -$209,084 | $33,823 | $22,772 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Grad rate: 48.3% |
NE | -$209,272 | $33,581 | $20,446 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
The New School
Grad rate: 70.2% |
NY | -$214,174 | $39,567 | $82,757 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
Columbia University in the City of New York
Grad rate: 95.1% |
NY | -$229,644 | $39,122 | $86,042 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 |
California College of the Arts
Grad rate: 65.7% |
CA | -$248,488 | $37,442 | $78,664 | 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 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies Degrees by State
Browse Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.