College ROI Report
Updated 2024
Best-value Colleges for Business Careers
A business or finance career path can definitely lead to a healthy salary—or better—but before you command a boardroom or ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, you’ll probably need a college degree. And since you’re a future mogul, you should be thinking in terms of college return on investment for business majors before you choose a college.
| Rank | School Name | 20 Year Net ROI | Total 4 Year Cost | Graduation Rate | Typical Years to Graduate | Average Loan Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name:_50px.png) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,755,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$302,000 | Graduation Rate:95% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$55,200 |
| Rank:2 | School Name: Colorado School of Mines (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,630,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$152,000 | Graduation Rate:82% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$35,500 |
| Rank:3 | School Name:Colorado School of Mines (Out-of-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,545,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$236,000 | Graduation Rate:82% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$35,500 |
| Rank:4 | School Name:_50px.png) United States Merchant Marine Academy (Service Academy) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,361,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$24,500 | Graduation Rate:77% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$17,300 |
| Rank:5 | School Name: at West Point_50px.png) United States Military Academy (Service Academy) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,341,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$0 | Graduation Rate:88% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:- |
| Rank:6 | School Name: Kettering University (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,329,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$233,000 | Graduation Rate:69% | Typical Years to Graduate:5 | Average Loan Amount:$48,300 |
| Rank:7 | School Name: at Annapolis_50px.png) United States Naval Academy (Service Academy) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,267,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$0 | Graduation Rate:90% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:- |
| Rank:8 | School Name: SUNY Maritime College (In-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,197,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$111,000 | Graduation Rate:73% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$34,600 |
| Rank:9 | School Name: Claremont McKenna College (Private) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,163,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$314,000 | Graduation Rate:91% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$30,500 |
| Rank:10 | School Name:SUNY Maritime College (Out-of-State) | 20 Year Net ROI:$1,157,000 | Total 4 Year Cost:$151,000 | Graduation Rate:73% | Typical Years to Graduate:4 | Average Loan Amount:$34,600 |
Palo Alto’s Stanford University perennially appears high on a number of lists in Payscale’s College ROI Report, as does Ivy League Cornell University. Located in Ithaca, New York, business is just one area where Cornell alumni shine, but if you are interested in a business career, or a finance career path, you may want to aim high and dress warm, because Cornell is not only a great value, it’s pretty cold in the winter.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business is world-renowned, and is one of the only business schools in the United States with a strong undergraduate program, so it’s no surprise that Penn provides one of the highest returns on investment for alumni who go on to work in business and finance. UPenn is the alma mater of Peter Lynch of the Magellan Fund, Elon Musk and even Warren Buffet. (Warren Buffet dropped out of Wharton’s undergraduate program after just two years as a student there.)
A career path in business can lead to hundreds of different types of jobs, including anything from business analyst, to investment banker, to buyer, to accountant, to underwriter and many, many more.
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