Best college value, by years to recoup cost
These 50 U.S. universities return the cost of attendance fastest: years to recoup the four-year net price from the annual earnings premium a graduate earns over a typical high-school graduate in the same state. Of 1377 institutions with the data to compute it, CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (New York, NY) leads, recouping its net cost in about 0.3 yrs.
| # | Institution | Years to recoup | Net price / yr | Earnings premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNY · Public | 0.3 yrs | $3,033 | $35,422 |
| 2 | Princeton UniversityNJ · Private | 0.4 yrs | $6,128 | $67,293 |
| 3 | United States Merchant Marine AcademyNY · Public | 0.5 yrs | $6,174 | $50,061 |
| 4 | CUNY Hunter CollegeNY · Public | 0.5 yrs | $2,984 | $22,614 |
| 5 | University of Florida-OnlineFL · Public | 0.6 yrs | $4,815 | $34,995 |
| 6 | CUNY City CollegeNY · Public | 0.6 yrs | $3,776 | $25,490 |
| 7 | CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNY · Public | 0.6 yrs | $3,103 | $20,203 |
| 8 | Stanford UniversityCA · Private | 0.7 yrs | $13,807 | $82,698 |
| 9 | CUNY Lehman CollegeNY · Public | 0.7 yrs | $3,148 | $17,464 |
| 10 | California Institute of TechnologyCA · Private | 0.7 yrs | $16,075 | $87,184 |
| 11 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA · Public | 0.7 yrs | $12,116 | $64,931 |
| 12 | University of FloridaFL · Public | 0.7 yrs | $6,541 | $34,995 |
| 13 | CUNY Queens CollegeNY · Public | 0.8 yrs | $4,195 | $22,214 |
| 14 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNY · Public | 0.8 yrs | $3,203 | $15,646 |
| 15 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA · Private | 0.8 yrs | $20,111 | $97,197 |
| 16 | California State University-Los AngelesCA · Public | 0.9 yrs | $3,967 | $17,829 |
| 17 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNM · Public | 1 yr | $9,873 | $41,164 |
| 18 | California State University-San BernardinoCA · Public | 1 yr | $4,564 | $18,595 |
| 19 | Rice UniversityTX · Private | 1 yr | $13,370 | $51,762 |
| 20 | University of California-BerkeleyCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $13,481 | $51,064 |
| 21 | CUNY York CollegeNY · Public | 1.1 yrs | $4,456 | $16,396 |
| 22 | California State University-StanislausCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $6,067 | $21,806 |
| 23 | University of California-San DiegoCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $12,470 | $43,561 |
| 24 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborMI · Public | 1.1 yrs | $13,138 | $45,871 |
| 25 | University of ChicagoIL · Private | 1.2 yrs | $14,860 | $50,920 |
| 26 | Mount Carmel College of NursingOH · Private | 1.2 yrs | $10,420 | $35,163 |
| 27 | Vanderbilt UniversityTN · Private | 1.2 yrs | $15,846 | $53,218 |
| 28 | California State University-FullertonCA · Public | 1.2 yrs | $6,555 | $21,569 |
| 29 | University of California-Los AngelesCA · Public | 1.2 yrs | $12,548 | $41,129 |
| 30 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNY · Private | 1.2 yrs | $13,269 | $43,298 |
| 31 | California State University-East BayCA · Public | 1.2 yrs | $9,320 | $30,019 |
| 32 | University of Arkansas GranthamAR · Public | 1.3 yrs | $8,370 | $26,616 |
| 33 | University of Washington-Tacoma CampusWA · Public | 1.3 yrs | $10,163 | $31,916 |
| 34 | California State University-BakersfieldCA · Public | 1.3 yrs | $5,652 | $17,627 |
| 35 | Baptist Health Sciences UniversityTN · Private | 1.3 yrs | $11,212 | $34,182 |
| 36 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesNY · Private | 1.3 yrs | $29,882 | $90,877 |
| 37 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC · Public | 1.3 yrs | $11,655 | $34,854 |
| 38 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA · Public | 1.3 yrs | $16,665 | $49,386 |
| 39 | Harvard UniversityMA · Private | 1.4 yrs | $19,066 | $55,642 |
| 40 | Bowdoin CollegeME · Private | 1.4 yrs | $14,398 | $41,960 |
| 41 | Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY · Private | 1.4 yrs | $21,590 | $61,942 |
| 42 | Texas A & M International UniversityTX · Public | 1.4 yrs | $3,637 | $10,430 |
| 43 | Michigan Technological UniversityMI · Public | 1.4 yrs | $14,182 | $40,421 |
| 44 | California State University-FresnoCA · Public | 1.4 yrs | $7,000 | $19,862 |
| 45 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL · Public | 1.4 yrs | $14,355 | $40,089 |
| 46 | University of California-IrvineCA · Public | 1.4 yrs | $14,251 | $39,353 |
| 47 | San Jose State UniversityCA · Public | 1.5 yrs | $13,760 | $37,606 |
| 48 | Missouri University of Science and TechnologyMO · Public | 1.5 yrs | $16,298 | $44,350 |
| 49 | Harvey Mudd CollegeCA · Private | 1.5 yrs | $35,924 | $97,305 |
| 50 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusCT · Public | 1.5 yrs | $10,875 | $29,271 |
Payback years = (average annual net price x 4) divided by (median earnings 10 years after entry minus the state median earnings of a high-school graduate, U.S. Census Bureau ACS). It is a transparent value signal, not an Ibex endorsement, a guarantee of any individual outcome, or a quality rating. Earnings reflect all students who entered, not only graduates, and net price is the average across income, so an individual’s figures will differ. Schools whose graduates do not out-earn a state high-school graduate, or that do not report net price or earnings, are excluded. Limited to institutions that mainly award bachelor’s or graduate degrees (four years of cost would overstate a certificate or associate program) and enroll at least 400 undergraduates. Per-school detail and peers appear on each institution’s profile.
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Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (2024-25); state earnings baselines from the U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2020-24). Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational planning only, not financial advice. See the methodology.