College isn’t cheap, the cost of a degree can exceed $500-thousand these days, so it makes sense to look at schools that have a proven track record of giving students the education and experience they need to thrive after graduation. A new ranking from The Princeton Review reveals the best value schools with the highest return on investment.
- The publication compared nearly 400 colleges and universities nationwide across three categories:
- Academic rating - Based on admissions selectivity and student surveys
- Financial aid - Based on school-reported data and how happy students are with what they receive
- College costs - Based on the difference between the school’s sticker price (including tuition, fees and room and board) and average scholarships and grants awarded to students
- Based on all of that, the best value public college in the country is the Georgia Institute of Technology.
- It’s the third year in a row Georgia Tech has claimed the top spot, thanks to its relatively low tuition fees and high median salaries for former students.
- In-state tuition for this school year is $10,512 and the median earnings of alumni is $102,772.
- The school has an impressive reputation all around, as “Forbes” has named it one of the “new Ivies” in 2024 and again in 2025.
The 10 Public Colleges with the Best Return on Investment:
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of Virginia
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of California - Irvine
- University of California - Berkeley
- University of California - San Diego
- University of Michigan
- University of Washington
- North Carolina State University
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Source: CNBC