Best value among private nonprofit universities, by years to recoup cost
These 50 private nonprofit 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 820 institutions with the data to compute it, Princeton University (Princeton, NJ) leads, recouping its net cost in about 0.4 yrs.
| # | Institution | Years to recoup | Net price / yr | Earnings premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton UniversityNJ | 0.4 yrs | $6,128 | $67,293 |
| 2 | Stanford UniversityCA | 0.7 yrs | $13,807 | $82,698 |
| 3 | California Institute of TechnologyCA | 0.7 yrs | $16,075 | $87,184 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA | 0.8 yrs | $20,111 | $97,197 |
| 5 | Rice UniversityTX | 1 yr | $13,370 | $51,762 |
| 6 | University of ChicagoIL | 1.2 yrs | $14,860 | $50,920 |
| 7 | Mount Carmel College of NursingOH | 1.2 yrs | $10,420 | $35,163 |
| 8 | Vanderbilt UniversityTN | 1.2 yrs | $15,846 | $53,218 |
| 9 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNY | 1.2 yrs | $13,269 | $43,298 |
| 10 | Baptist Health Sciences UniversityTN | 1.3 yrs | $11,212 | $34,182 |
| 11 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesNY | 1.3 yrs | $29,882 | $90,877 |
| 12 | Harvard UniversityMA | 1.4 yrs | $19,066 | $55,642 |
| 13 | Bowdoin CollegeME | 1.4 yrs | $14,398 | $41,960 |
| 14 | Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY | 1.4 yrs | $21,590 | $61,942 |
| 15 | Harvey Mudd CollegeCA | 1.5 yrs | $35,924 | $97,305 |
| 16 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-WorldwideFL | 1.6 yrs | $18,725 | $47,538 |
| 17 | Davidson CollegeNC | 1.6 yrs | $17,379 | $44,054 |
| 18 | University of PennsylvaniaPA | 1.6 yrs | $28,699 | $70,728 |
| 19 | Albizu University-San JuanPR | 1.6 yrs | $9,732 | $23,870 |
| 20 | Williams CollegeMA | 1.7 yrs | $17,716 | $42,490 |
| 21 | Yale UniversityCT | 1.7 yrs | $23,777 | $55,807 |
| 22 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPA | 1.7 yrs | $31,944 | $74,219 |
| 23 | Colby CollegeME | 1.7 yrs | $17,180 | $39,715 |
| 24 | Illinois Institute of TechnologyIL | 1.8 yrs | $18,425 | $41,627 |
| 25 | Johns Hopkins UniversityMD | 1.8 yrs | $18,809 | $42,442 |
| 26 | Washington and Lee UniversityVA | 1.8 yrs | $23,781 | $53,567 |
| 27 | University of Notre DameIN | 1.8 yrs | $26,780 | $59,569 |
| 28 | Cornell UniversityNY | 1.8 yrs | $28,690 | $63,494 |
| 29 | Claremont McKenna CollegeCA | 1.8 yrs | $28,849 | $63,354 |
| 30 | Washington University in St LouisMO | 1.8 yrs | $21,786 | $47,575 |
| 31 | University of Detroit MercyMI | 1.8 yrs | $15,232 | $33,253 |
| 32 | Brigham Young UniversityUT | 1.9 yrs | $15,564 | $32,700 |
| 33 | Milwaukee School of EngineeringWI | 1.9 yrs | $22,453 | $46,703 |
| 34 | Duke UniversityNC | 2 yrs | $29,612 | $60,454 |
| 35 | Northeastern University OaklandCA | 2 yrs | $25,181 | $51,156 |
| 36 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesMA | 2 yrs | $39,545 | $79,382 |
| 37 | Bentley UniversityMA | 2 yrs | $37,930 | $74,784 |
| 38 | Brown UniversityRI | 2.1 yrs | $25,184 | $49,092 |
| 39 | Christian Brothers UniversityTN | 2.1 yrs | $9,854 | $19,131 |
| 40 | College of Biblical Studies-HoustonTX | 2.1 yrs | $672 | $1,304 |
| 41 | Babson CollegeMA | 2.1 yrs | $40,514 | $77,763 |
| 42 | Pomona CollegeCA | 2.1 yrs | $19,285 | $36,397 |
| 43 | Emory UniversityGA | 2.1 yrs | $22,585 | $42,296 |
| 44 | University of St FrancisIL | 2.3 yrs | $13,006 | $22,961 |
| 45 | Lehigh UniversityPA | 2.3 yrs | $36,931 | $64,941 |
| 46 | Swarthmore CollegePA | 2.3 yrs | $23,149 | $39,614 |
| 47 | Universidad Politecnica de Puerto RicoPR | 2.3 yrs | $17,540 | $29,866 |
| 48 | Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNY | 2.4 yrs | $36,228 | $61,502 |
| 49 | Wofford CollegeSC | 2.4 yrs | $18,732 | $31,768 |
| 50 | Manhattan UniversityNY | 2.4 yrs | $27,256 | $45,767 |
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.