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 2375 institutions with the data to compute it, Canada College (Redwood City, CA) leads, recouping its net cost in about 0 yrs.
| # | Institution | Years to recoup | Net price / yr | Earnings premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada CollegeCA · Public | 0 yrs | $32 | $11,641 |
| 2 | College of San MateoCA · Public | 0.1 yrs | $536 | $15,726 |
| 3 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNY · Public | 0.3 yrs | $3,033 | $37,934 |
| 4 | Princeton UniversityNJ · Private | 0.3 yrs | $6,128 | $70,153 |
| 5 | Skyline CollegeCA · Public | 0.4 yrs | $1,738 | $17,256 |
| 6 | United States Merchant Marine AcademyNY · Public | 0.5 yrs | $6,174 | $52,573 |
| 7 | CUNY Hunter CollegeNY · Public | 0.5 yrs | $2,984 | $25,126 |
| 8 | University of Florida-OnlineFL · Public | 0.5 yrs | $4,815 | $37,815 |
| 9 | CUNY City CollegeNY · Public | 0.5 yrs | $3,776 | $28,002 |
| 10 | CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNY · Public | 0.5 yrs | $3,103 | $22,715 |
| 11 | Colegio de Cinematografia Artes y TelevisionPR · Private for-profit | 0.6 yrs | $1,460 | $9,265 |
| 12 | CUNY Lehman CollegeNY · Public | 0.6 yrs | $3,148 | $19,976 |
| 13 | Stanford UniversityCA · Private | 0.6 yrs | $13,807 | $85,634 |
| 14 | St Petersburg CollegeFL · Public | 0.7 yrs | $1,471 | $8,784 |
| 15 | CUNY Queens CollegeNY · Public | 0.7 yrs | $4,195 | $24,726 |
| 16 | University of FloridaFL · Public | 0.7 yrs | $6,541 | $37,815 |
| 17 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNY · Public | 0.7 yrs | $3,203 | $18,158 |
| 18 | California Institute of TechnologyCA · Private | 0.7 yrs | $16,075 | $90,120 |
| 19 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA · Public | 0.7 yrs | $12,116 | $67,483 |
| 20 | California State University-Los AngelesCA · Public | 0.8 yrs | $3,967 | $20,765 |
| 21 | College of Biblical Studies-HoustonTX · Private | 0.8 yrs | $672 | $3,507 |
| 22 | Irvine Valley CollegeCA · Public | 0.8 yrs | $2,090 | $10,710 |
| 23 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA · Private | 0.8 yrs | $20,111 | $99,880 |
| 24 | California State University-San BernardinoCA · Public | 0.8 yrs | $4,564 | $21,531 |
| 25 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNM · Public | 0.9 yrs | $9,873 | $43,923 |
| 26 | CUNY York CollegeNY · Public | 0.9 yrs | $4,456 | $18,908 |
| 27 | California State University-StanislausCA · Public | 1 yrs | $6,067 | $24,742 |
| 28 | Macomb Community CollegeMI · Public | 1 yrs | $1,618 | $6,544 |
| 29 | Rice UniversityTX · Private | 1 yrs | $13,370 | $53,965 |
| 30 | University of California-BerkeleyCA · Public | 1 yrs | $13,481 | $54,000 |
| 31 | West Valley CollegeCA · Public | 1 yrs | $3,423 | $13,242 |
| 32 | California State University-FullertonCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $6,555 | $24,505 |
| 33 | University of California-San DiegoCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $12,470 | $46,497 |
| 34 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborMI · Public | 1.1 yrs | $13,138 | $48,596 |
| 35 | Mount Carmel College of NursingOH · Private | 1.1 yrs | $10,420 | $38,292 |
| 36 | University of ChicagoIL · Private | 1.1 yrs | $14,860 | $54,179 |
| 37 | California State University-BakersfieldCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $5,652 | $20,563 |
| 38 | Vanderbilt UniversityTN · Private | 1.1 yrs | $15,846 | $56,598 |
| 39 | California State University-East BayCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $9,320 | $32,955 |
| 40 | University of Washington-Tacoma CampusWA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $10,163 | $35,852 |
| 41 | University of Arkansas GranthamAR · Public | 1.1 yrs | $8,370 | $29,426 |
| 42 | University of California-Los AngelesCA · Public | 1.1 yrs | $12,548 | $44,065 |
| 43 | Texas A & M International UniversityTX · Public | 1.2 yrs | $3,637 | $12,633 |
| 44 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNY · Private | 1.2 yrs | $13,269 | $45,810 |
| 45 | Schoolcraft Community College DistrictMI · Public | 1.2 yrs | $2,260 | $7,670 |
| 46 | Baptist Health Sciences UniversityTN · Private | 1.2 yrs | $11,212 | $37,562 |
| 47 | California State University-FresnoCA · Public | 1.2 yrs | $7,000 | $22,798 |
| 48 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC · Public | 1.2 yrs | $11,655 | $37,897 |
| 49 | Bowdoin CollegeME · Private | 1.2 yrs | $14,398 | $46,193 |
| 50 | Chipola CollegeFL · Public | 1.3 yrs | $1,133 | $3,605 |
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 with at least 400 undergraduates. Per-school detail and peers appear on each institution’s profile.
Compare any two schools on value
Open the dashboard to filter by sector, size, and state, or put two schools head-to-head.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (2024-25); state earnings baselines from the U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2022 ACS 5-year). Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational planning only, not financial advice. See the methodology.