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 918 institutions with the data to compute it, Princeton University (Princeton, NJ) leads, recouping its net cost in about 0.3 yrs.
| # | Institution | Years to recoup | Net price / yr | Earnings premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton UniversityNJ | 0.3 yrs | $6,128 | $70,153 |
| 2 | Stanford UniversityCA | 0.6 yrs | $13,807 | $85,634 |
| 3 | California Institute of TechnologyCA | 0.7 yrs | $16,075 | $90,120 |
| 4 | College of Biblical Studies-HoustonTX | 0.8 yrs | $672 | $3,507 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMA | 0.8 yrs | $20,111 | $99,880 |
| 6 | Rice UniversityTX | 1 yrs | $13,370 | $53,965 |
| 7 | Mount Carmel College of NursingOH | 1.1 yrs | $10,420 | $38,292 |
| 8 | University of ChicagoIL | 1.1 yrs | $14,860 | $54,179 |
| 9 | Vanderbilt UniversityTN | 1.1 yrs | $15,846 | $56,598 |
| 10 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNY | 1.2 yrs | $13,269 | $45,810 |
| 11 | Baptist Health Sciences UniversityTN | 1.2 yrs | $11,212 | $37,562 |
| 12 | Bowdoin CollegeME | 1.2 yrs | $14,398 | $46,193 |
| 13 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesNY | 1.3 yrs | $29,882 | $93,389 |
| 14 | Harvard UniversityMA | 1.3 yrs | $19,066 | $58,325 |
| 15 | Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY | 1.3 yrs | $21,590 | $64,454 |
| 16 | Harvey Mudd CollegeCA | 1.4 yrs | $35,924 | $100,241 |
| 17 | Davidson CollegeNC | 1.5 yrs | $17,379 | $47,097 |
| 18 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-WorldwideFL | 1.5 yrs | $18,725 | $50,358 |
| 19 | Albizu University-San JuanPR | 1.6 yrs | $9,732 | $25,102 |
| 20 | University of PennsylvaniaPA | 1.6 yrs | $28,699 | $73,682 |
| 21 | Colby CollegeME | 1.6 yrs | $17,180 | $43,948 |
| 22 | Williams CollegeMA | 1.6 yrs | $17,716 | $45,173 |
| 23 | Yale UniversityCT | 1.6 yrs | $23,777 | $58,309 |
| 24 | Illinois Institute of TechnologyIL | 1.6 yrs | $18,425 | $44,886 |
| 25 | Johns Hopkins UniversityMD | 1.7 yrs | $18,809 | $45,524 |
| 26 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPA | 1.7 yrs | $31,944 | $77,173 |
| 27 | Washington and Lee UniversityVA | 1.7 yrs | $23,781 | $56,778 |
| 28 | University of Detroit MercyMI | 1.7 yrs | $15,232 | $35,978 |
| 29 | University of Notre DameIN | 1.7 yrs | $26,780 | $62,533 |
| 30 | Washington University in St LouisMO | 1.7 yrs | $21,786 | $50,412 |
| 31 | Brigham Young UniversityUT | 1.7 yrs | $15,564 | $35,985 |
| 32 | Cornell UniversityNY | 1.7 yrs | $28,690 | $66,006 |
| 33 | Claremont McKenna CollegeCA | 1.7 yrs | $28,849 | $66,290 |
| 34 | Christian Brothers UniversityTN | 1.8 yrs | $9,854 | $22,511 |
| 35 | Milwaukee School of EngineeringWI | 1.8 yrs | $22,453 | $50,101 |
| 36 | Brigham Young University-IdahoID | 1.8 yrs | $8,221 | $17,843 |
| 37 | Northeastern University OaklandCA | 1.9 yrs | $25,181 | $54,092 |
| 38 | Duke UniversityNC | 1.9 yrs | $29,612 | $63,497 |
| 39 | MCPHS UniversityMA | 1.9 yrs | $39,545 | $82,065 |
| 40 | Brown UniversityRI | 2 yrs | $25,184 | $51,519 |
| 41 | Bentley UniversityMA | 2 yrs | $37,930 | $77,467 |
| 42 | Pomona CollegeCA | 2 yrs | $19,285 | $39,333 |
| 43 | University of St FrancisIL | 2 yrs | $13,006 | $26,220 |
| 44 | Emory UniversityGA | 2 yrs | $22,585 | $44,848 |
| 45 | Babson CollegeMA | 2 yrs | $40,514 | $80,446 |
| 46 | Dominican UniversityIL | 2.1 yrs | $11,745 | $22,621 |
| 47 | Saint Xavier UniversityIL | 2.1 yrs | $10,970 | $20,950 |
| 48 | Trinity Washington UniversityDC | 2.1 yrs | $9,302 | $17,711 |
| 49 | Holy Family UniversityPA | 2.1 yrs | $13,143 | $24,546 |
| 50 | Wofford CollegeSC | 2.2 yrs | $18,732 | $34,552 |
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.
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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 (2022 ACS 5-year). Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational planning only, not financial advice. See the methodology.