| Rank | College | Return-on-Investment | Median Salary | Typical Cost |
| 1 | California State University-Los Angeles | 11.2 | $43,900 | $3,933 |
| 2 | California State University-Northridge | 6.6 | $43,400 | $6,574 |
| 3 | California State University-Fullerton | 5.4 | $44,500 | $8,170 |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 5.4 | $54,800 | $10,068 |
| 5 | California State University-Sacramento | 5.2 | $47,200 | $9,127 |
| 6 | California State University-Long Beach | 4.8 | $47,100 | $9,867 |
| 7 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 4.7 | $55,000 | $11,693 |
| 8 | Brigham Young University-Provo | 4.4 | $56,800 | $12,864 |
| 9 | Western Governors University | 4.3 | $38,800 | $9,115 |
| 10 | University of North Texas | 4.2 | $43,300 | $10,424 |
| 11 | University of California-Los Angeles | 4.1 | $58,700 | $14,236 |
| 11 | West Virginia University | 4.1 | $44,000 | $10,814 |
| 11 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 4.1 | $51,100 | $12,598 |
| 14 | University of California-Irvine | 4.0 | $55,100 | $13,780 |
| 14 | University of California-San Diego | 4.0 | $58,600 | $14,770 |
| 16 | University of Maryland-College Park | 3.9 | $61,700 | $15,757 |
| 16 | Miami Dade College | 3.9 | $30,000 | $7,675 |
| 16 | San Jose State University | 3.9 | $53,700 | $13,777 |
| 19 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | 3.8 | $49,300 | $13,066 |
| 20 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 3.7 | $60,100 | $16,107 |
| 20 | University of South Florida-Main Campus | 3.7 | $41,800 | $11,398 |
| 20 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 3.7 | $46,100 | $12,621 |
| 23 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 3.6 | $44,000 | $12,107 |
| 23 | San Francisco State University | 3.6 | $48,000 | $13,250 |
| 23 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 3.6 | $56,400 | $15,614 |
| 23 | University of California-Berkeley | 3.6 | $61,800 | $17,160 |
| 23 | University of Florida | 3.6 | $53,100 | $14,761 |
| 23 | Texas A & M University-College Station | 3.6 | $55,500 | $15,455 |
| 23 | Iowa State University | 3.6 | $48,600 | $13,623 |
| 30 | University of Iowa | 3.5 | $50,200 | $14,161 |
| 30 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 3.5 | $42,700 | $12,084 |
| 30 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 3.5 | $60,500 | $17,190 |
| 30 | Texas State University | 3.5 | $44,400 | $12,647 |
| 30 | University of California-Davis | 3.5 | $56,300 | $16,039 |
| 30 | Arizona State University-Tempe | 3.5 | $45,400 | $13,007 |
| 30 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 3.5 | $52,500 | $15,149 |
| 30 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 3.5 | $57,600 | $16,683 |
| 38 | Michigan State University | 3.4 | $51,500 | $14,970 |
| 38 | The University of Texas at Austin | 3.4 | $54,900 | $16,010 |
| 38 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 3.4 | $54,200 | $15,874 |
| 38 | Florida International University | 3.4 | $44,200 | $12,966 |
| 38 | San Diego State University | 3.4 | $48,300 | $14,344 |
| 43 | University of Georgia | 3.2 | $48,500 | $14,956 |
| 43 | Texas Tech University | 3.2 | $49,300 | $15,235 |
| 43 | University of Houston | 3.2 | $49,900 | $15,571 |
| 43 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 3.2 | $47,600 | $15,095 |
| 47 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 3.1 | $49,800 | $16,242 |
| 48 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 2.8 | $46,100 | $16,317 |
| 48 | University of Central Florida | 2.8 | $43,300 | $15,533 |
| 48 | University of Arizona | 2.8 | $45,800 | $16,466 |
| 48 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 2.8 | $45,000 | $16,232 |
| 52 | Washington State University | 2.7 | $48,600 | $17,815 |
| 52 | Florida State University | 2.7 | $44,900 | $16,506 |
| 52 | Northern Arizona University | 2.7 | $39,300 | $14,678 |
| 55 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 2.5 | $49,700 | $20,093 |
| 56 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 2.4 | $43,700 | $17,971 |
| 56 | University of Kentucky | 2.4 | $43,000 | $17,850 |
| 58 | Temple University | 2.3 | $48,600 | $21,237 |
| 59 | Ashford University | 2.2 | $40,900 | $18,235 |
| 59 | Auburn University | 2.2 | $47,100 | $21,698 |
| 59 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 2.2 | $43,000 | $19,913 |
| 62 | The University of Alabama | 2.1 | $42,700 | $20,133 |
| 62 | University of Colorado Boulder | 2.1 | $48,100 | $22,727 |
| 62 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 2.1 | $43,400 | $20,780 |
| 62 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 2.1 | $42,200 | $20,544 |
| 66 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 2.0 | $39,500 | $19,978 |
| 67 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 1.9 | $48,500 | $25,055 |
| 68 | New York University | 1.7 | $59,600 | $35,147 |
| 69 | Liberty University | 1.4 | $35,200 | $24,794 |
| 70 | Southern New Hampshire University | 1.2 | $41,700 | $34,984 |
