The 50 US Colleges With the Best Salary-to-Cost Ratio
50 colleges where graduate earnings outweigh cost by the widest margin. Ranked from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard - 50 institutions with complete data.
| # | College | Salary / net price | Net price | Salary (10yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY - Salary $75,971 / net $3,033 | 25.0x | $3,033 | $75,971 |
| 2 | Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA - Salary $49,156 / net $2,090 | 23.5x | $2,090 | $49,156 |
| 3 | Hartnell College Salinas, CA - Salary $44,316 / net $2,039 | 21.7x | $2,039 | $44,316 |
| 4 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY - Salary $63,163 / net $2,984 | 21.2x | $2,984 | $63,163 |
| 5 | Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA - Salary $44,956 / net $2,129 | 21.1x | $2,129 | $44,956 |
| 6 | Middlesex College Edison, NJ - Salary $46,861 / net $2,288 | 20.5x | $2,288 | $46,861 |
| 7 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY - Salary $60,752 / net $3,103 | 19.6x | $3,103 | $60,752 |
| 8 | Middlesex Community College Bedford, MA - Salary $50,651 / net $2,624 | 19.3x | $2,624 | $50,651 |
| 9 | Schoolcraft Community College District Livonia, MI - Salary $42,722 / net $2,260 | 18.9x | $2,260 | $42,722 |
| 10 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY - Salary $58,013 / net $3,148 | 18.4x | $3,148 | $58,013 |
| 11 | Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby, IL - Salary $40,810 / net $2,232 | 18.3x | $2,232 | $40,810 |
| 12 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ - Salary $110,066 / net $6,128 | 18.0x | $6,128 | $110,066 |
| 13 | San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA - Salary $43,212 / net $2,407 | 18.0x | $2,407 | $43,212 |
| 14 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY - Salary $56,195 / net $3,203 | 17.5x | $3,203 | $56,195 |
| 15 | CUNY City College New York, NY - Salary $66,039 / net $3,776 | 17.5x | $3,776 | $66,039 |
| 16 | Lake Land College Mattoon, IL - Salary $38,877 / net $2,254 | 17.2x | $2,254 | $38,877 |
| 17 | Cerritos College Norwalk, CA - Salary $41,156 / net $2,424 | 17.0x | $2,424 | $41,156 |
| 18 | Bridgerland Technical College Logan, UT - Salary $38,347 / net $2,338 | 16.4x | $2,338 | $38,347 |
| 19 | Florence-Darlington Technical College Florence, SC - Salary $32,748 / net $2,004 | 16.3x | $2,004 | $32,748 |
| 20 | Carroll Community College Westminster, MD - Salary $44,349 / net $2,725 | 16.3x | $2,725 | $44,349 |
| 21 | Rockingham Community College Wentworth, NC - Salary $32,480 / net $2,060 | 15.8x | $2,060 | $32,480 |
| 22 | Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL - Salary $43,892 / net $2,829 | 15.5x | $2,829 | $43,892 |
| 23 | Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg, SC - Salary $37,097 / net $2,405 | 15.4x | $2,405 | $37,097 |
| 24 | Yuba College Marysville, CA - Salary $39,552 / net $2,576 | 15.4x | $2,576 | $39,552 |
| 25 | Wayne Community College Goldsboro, NC - Salary $34,148 / net $2,245 | 15.2x | $2,245 | $34,148 |
| 26 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA - Salary $42,193 / net $2,779 | 15.2x | $2,779 | $42,193 |
| 27 | West Valley College Saratoga, CA - Salary $51,688 / net $3,423 | 15.1x | $3,423 | $51,688 |
| 28 | Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA - Salary $42,368 / net $2,818 | 15.0x | $2,818 | $42,368 |
| 29 | CUNY Queens College Queens, NY - Salary $62,763 / net $4,195 | 15.0x | $4,195 | $62,763 |
| 30 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA - Salary $59,211 / net $3,967 | 14.9x | $3,967 | $59,211 |
| 31 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL - Salary $71,588 / net $4,815 | 14.9x | $4,815 | $71,588 |
| 32 | College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City, NC - Salary $33,234 / net $2,253 | 14.8x | $2,253 | $33,234 |
| 33 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY - Salary $90,610 / net $6,174 | 14.7x | $6,174 | $90,610 |
| 34 | San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA - Salary $48,224 / net $3,337 | 14.5x | $3,337 | $48,224 |
| 35 | West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA - Salary $35,479 / net $2,457 | 14.4x | $2,457 | $35,479 |
| 36 | Victoria College Victoria, TX - Salary $42,382 / net $3,043 | 13.9x | $3,043 | $42,382 |
| 37 | Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA - Salary $43,552 / net $3,133 | 13.9x | $3,133 | $43,552 |
| 38 | Taft College Taft, CA - Salary $38,861 / net $2,823 | 13.8x | $2,823 | $38,861 |
| 39 | Shasta College Redding, CA - Salary $39,269 / net $2,878 | 13.6x | $2,878 | $39,269 |
| 40 | Central Technology Center Drumright, OK - Salary $36,351 / net $2,674 | 13.6x | $2,674 | $36,351 |
| 41 | Texas Southmost College Brownsville, TX - Salary $41,900 / net $3,085 | 13.6x | $3,085 | $41,900 |
| 42 | Erwin Technical College Tampa, FL - Salary $37,966 / net $2,796 | 13.6x | $2,796 | $37,966 |
| 43 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX - Salary $48,386 / net $3,637 | 13.3x | $3,637 | $48,386 |
| 44 | College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, CA - Salary $49,022 / net $3,702 | 13.2x | $3,702 | $49,022 |
| 45 | Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit, MS - Salary $33,227 / net $2,525 | 13.2x | $2,525 | $33,227 |
| 46 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA - Salary $59,977 / net $4,564 | 13.1x | $4,564 | $59,977 |
| 47 | Lamar State College-Port Arthur Port Arthur, TX - Salary $37,120 / net $2,846 | 13.0x | $2,846 | $37,120 |
| 48 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI - Salary $38,618 / net $2,979 | 13.0x | $2,979 | $38,618 |
| 49 | CUNY York College Jamaica, NY - Salary $56,945 / net $4,456 | 12.8x | $4,456 | $56,945 |
| 50 | Northeast Alabama Community College Rainsville, AL - Salary $34,913 / net $2,756 | 12.7x | $2,756 | $34,913 |
How this ranking works
We rank institutions on a single College Scorecard metric combination: median graduate earnings ten years after entry divided by average net price - a simple payback-quality ratio. A ratio above 2.0x means typical graduates recover a year of cost with one year of earnings premium. Only colleges with at least 500 students and complete reported data are included. Averages hide variation by major and family income - treat the table as a shortlist, then verify each school's official numbers.
Next step: run your own numbers
Once you have a shortlist, model the full picture: estimate your admission odds in the Admission Chances tool, simulate the payback in the Degree ROI Simulator, and plan the borrowing in the Loan Payoff Planner. More rankings and all state guides live in the US colleges database.