25 public colleges that are worth the money
When choosing where to go to college, cost of tuition and future job prospects are two important factors to consider.
And while many expensive institutions are worth the investment — it's crucial to do what's right for you, after all — going to an in-state school usually guarantees that you're saving money right off the bat. Especially if that school often proves its value by leading to high-paying careers later on.
Payscale's annual College ROI Report determines the return on investment for schools across the U.S. by subtracting the cost of attendance from graduates' 20-year pay. For the report, Payscale draws its data from the approximately 1.3 million college-educated workers who successfully completed PayScale's Employee Survey over the last 10 years. Read a complete breakdown of the methodology here.
For this list, CNBC narrowed down the list to public institutions, focusing only on in-state tuition costs.
Though no one can guarantee that attending any particular school will result in the same ROI, here are 25 schools that give you a good shot.
25. SUNY Binghamton University
20-year net ROI: $563,000
Total cost for four years: $92,800
Average loan amount: $27,800
24. Oregon Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $566,000
Total cost for four years: $86,400
Average loan amount: $24,700
23. University of Massachusetts at Lowell
20-year net ROI: $568,000
Total cost for four years: $104,000
Average loan amount: $28,500
22. Texas A&M University
20-year net ROI: $569,000
Total cost for four years: $89,700
Average loan amount: $24,100
21. San Jose State University
20-year net ROI: $576,00
Total cost for four years: $99,200
Average loan amount: $21,900
20. Virginia Polytechnic and State University
20-year net ROI: $582,000
Total cost for four years: $102,000
Average loan amount: $32,400
19. University of Washington at Bothell
20-year net ROI: $583,000
Total cost for four years: $109,000
Average loan amount: $20,600
17. TIE: University of Virginia
20-year net ROI: $601,000
Total cost for four years: $108,000
Average loan amount: $29,300
17. TIE: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
20-year net ROI: $601,000
Total cost for four years: $76,000
Average loan amount: $19,600
16. Montana Tech
20-year net ROI: $612,000
Total cost for four years: $75,700
Average loan amount: $22,400
15. University of California at San Diego
20-year net ROI: $623,000
Total cost for four years: $123,000
Average loan amount: $22,600
14. Michigan Technological University
20-year net ROI: $625,000
Total cost for four years: $107,000
Average loan amount: $29,300
13. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
20-year net ROI: $653,000
Total cost for four years: $89,700
Average loan amount: $29,200
12. Virginia Military Institute
20-year net ROI: $660,000
Total cost for four years: $106,000
Average loan amount: $29,500
11. California Polytechnic State University
20-year net ROI: $678,000
Total cost for four years: $98,300
Average loan amount: $23,400
10. New Jersey Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $688,000
Total cost for four years: $131,000
Average loan amount: $31,900
9. Missouri University of Science and Technology
20-year net ROI: $713,000
Total cost for four years: $87,400
Average loan amount: $27,500
8. Maine Maritime Academy
20-year net ROI: $725,000
Total cost for four years: $100,000
Average loan amount: $43,200
7. University of California at Berkeley
20-year net ROI: $732,000
Total cost for four years: $136,000
Average loan amount: $23,300
6. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
20-year net ROI: $773,000
Total cost for four years: $89,900
Average loan amount: $
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $824,000
Total cost for four years: $96,200
Average loan amount: $31,700
4. California State University, Maritime
20-year net ROI: $826,000
Total cost for four years: $87,500
Average loan amount: $30,600
3. Colorado School of Mines
20-year net ROI: $883,000
Total cost for four years: $123,000
Average loan amount: $33,400
2. SUNY Maritime College
20-year net ROI: $895,000
Total cost for four years: $92,300
Average loan amount: $32,000
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
20-year net ROI: $1,056,000
Total cost for four years: $33,100
Average loan amount: $12,300
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