U.S. Universities and Colleges With the Best Return on Investment
The U.S. is one of the top countries for students who are looking to avail of international education from the best universities. But the cost of education can make it difficult to determine if spending that money is worth the salary you’d earn later.
In the U.S., you must have the total funds available for the entire planned period of study before you start school. Scholarships can be a great support in financing your education, and you should explore more about it before planning to study in the U.S.
It’s therefore extremely important to look at your total program costs, including living expenses and your return on investment (ROI) after you successfully complete the program. Your degree matters, but so do your college expenses. Ultimately, you go to college to gain knowledge but also to improve your earning potential, make new connections, and more. That’s why we want to underscore the importance of getting a good education at a reasonable price, based on your intended job after college, so you can maximize the ROI on your education.
Every college and university in the U.S. charge a different amount for tuition, and your individual financial situation may require you to take on student loans or seek financial aid. So it’s not as simple as “you earn more by going to college.” Your financial planning requires you to look at your ROI.
Calculating College Return on Investment
College is an investment of both time and money. In return, that time and money should earn you more and improve your knowledge.
MPOWER Financing provides international students with loans for more than 400 universities in the U.S. and Canada. We analyzed the cost of attendance for our partner universities, while at the same time comparing the salary and employment data of our own borrowers after graduation. The result is an in-depth look at how much it costs to attend these schools, versus how much graduates from them earn – your college ROI.
To determine ROI, we compared the average cost of attendance for undergrad and grad programs which includes the cost of tuition, living expenses, and other costs, with the average salary after graduation for these programs.
The 24 Colleges with the Best Return on Investment
Brigham Young University – Provo
Location: UT
No. of International Students: 317
Average Cost of Attendance: $14,130.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $86,000.00
Return on Investment: 509%
Drake University
Location: IA
No. of International Students: 23
Average Cost of Attendance: $20,033.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $77100.00
Return on Investment: 285%
Marywood University
Location: PA
No. of International Students: 82
Average Cost of Attendance: $20,700.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $64,100.00
Return on Investment: 210%
University of Scranton
Location: PA
No. of International Students: 66
Average Cost of Attendance: $20,800.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $71,700.00
Return on Investment: 245%
Providence College
Location: RI
No. of International Students: 17
Average Cost of Attendance: $22,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $76,700.00
Return on Investment: 241%
Canisius College
Location: NY
No. of International Students: 49
Average Cost of Attendance: $23,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,200.00
Return on Investment: 183%
University of South Dakota
Location: SD
No. of International Students: 121
Average Cost of Attendance: $23,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,600.00
Return on Investment: 179%
Loyola University Maryland
Location: MD
No. of International Students: 28
Average Cost of Attendance: $23,700.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $76,600.00
Return on Investment: 223%
Texas Tech University
Location: TX
No. of International Students: 1584
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $75,200.00
Return on Investment: 213%
North Dakota State University – Main Campus
Location: ND
No. of International Students: 590
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $68,850.00
Return on Investment: 187%
Elon University
Location: NC
No. of International Students: 2
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $72,600.00
Return on Investment: 203%
Illinois State University
Location: IL
No. of International Students: 265
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,600.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $72,650.00
Return on Investment: 195%
University of the Potomac – Washington, D.C. Campus
Location: DC
No. of International Students: 0
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $72,450.00
Return on Investment: 190%
University of Portland
Location: OR
No. of International Students: 65
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $73,000.00
Return on Investment: 192%
Butler University
Location: IN
No. of International Students: 10
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,400.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $80,900.00
Return on Investment: 219%
Central Michigan University
Location: MI
No. of International Students: 689
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,200.00
Return on Investment: 156%
Bradley University
Location: IL
No. of International Students: 379
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,600.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $71,800.00
Return on Investment: 180%
Michigan Technological University
Location: MI
No. of International Students: 875
Average Cost of Attendance: $27,700.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $83,800.00
Return on Investment: 203%
Clemson University
Location: SC
No. of International Students: 1374
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $70,500.00
Return on Investment: 147%
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Location: MO
No. of International Students: 844
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,600.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $87,350.00
Return on Investment: 205%
University of Dayton
Location: OH
No. of International Students: 588
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,800.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $76,109.41
Return on Investment: 164%
University of Northern Iowa
Location: IA
No. of International Students: 144
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,900.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $70,300.00
Return on Investment: 143%
Appalachian State University
Location: NC
No. of International Students: 24
Average Cost of Attendance: $29,300.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,000.00
Return on Investment: 122%
San Diego State University
Location: CA
No. of International Students: 775
Average Cost of Attendance: $29,400.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $82,500.00
Return on Investment: 181%
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which degree offers the best financial returns?
According to a report from PayScale, Engineering and Computer Science graduates see the biggest return on investment.
What is college ROI?
College ROI is calculated as an individual’s earning over a period of 30 years minus the total spend on education. ROI stands for Return on Investment.
