The Inkwell
Rankings
Earnings vs. price

Graduate earnings for every dollar of net price

Median earnings ten years after entry divided by four years of average net price — a rough payback signal. Top 100 of 1,187 qualifying colleges.

Highest-earning graduates Lowest net price Best graduation rate Most selective Highest SAT scores Lowest student debt Best first-year retention Pell Grant access Largest colleges Earnings vs. price Oldest colleges

#	College	State	Sector	Earnings vs. price	Net price	Grad.	Earnings
1	CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York	NY	Public	16.77×	$1,051	59%	$70,502
2	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York	NY	Public	14.84×	$1,110	54%	$65,870
3	CUNY Queens CollegeQueens	NY	Public	13.43×	$1,272	53%	$68,324
4	CUNY City CollegeNew York	NY	Public	11.17×	$1,557	50%	$69,594
5	CUNY York CollegeJamaica	NY	Public	7.97×	$1,956	27%	$62,351
6	California State University-Los AngelesLos Angeles	CA	Public	6.56×	$2,385	55%	$62,555
7	CUNY New York City College of TechnologyBrooklyn	NY	Public	5.06×	$2,818	19%	$57,019
8	Dalton State CollegeDalton	GA	Public	4.90×	$2,353	29%	$46,083
9	College of Staten Island CUNYStaten Island	NY	Public	4.76×	$3,153	36%	$59,992
10	California State University-StanislausTurlock	CA	Public	4.60×	$3,565	52%	$65,560
11	University of Florida-OnlineGainesville	FL	Public	4.52×	$4,336	83%	$78,456
12	Princeton UniversityPrinceton	NJ	Nonprofit	4.27×	$7,815	97%	$133,523
13	Galen College of Nursing-LouisvilleLouisville	KY	For-profit	4.26×	$4,058	44%	$69,188
14	California State University-San BernardinoSan Bernardino	CA	Public	3.92×	$3,946	53%	$61,951
15	California State University-BakersfieldBakersfield	CA	Public	3.90×	$4,001	48%	$62,381
16	CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn	NY	Public	3.79×	$3,245	20%	$49,242
17	CUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew York	NY	Public	3.65×	$4,766	—	$69,504
18	Texas A&M University-Central TexasKilleen	TX	Public	3.39×	$4,107	33%	$55,645
19	California State University-FullertonFullerton	CA	Public	3.37×	$5,115	68%	$69,015
20	University of FloridaGainesville	FL	Public	3.29×	$5,969	92%	$78,456
21	Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale	NY	Public	3.06×	$6,146	48%	$75,278
22	The University of Texas Permian BasinOdessa	TX	Public	3.04×	$5,070	41%	$61,557
23	California State University-FresnoFresno	CA	Public	2.90×	$5,418	58%	$62,756
24	The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg	TX	Public	2.72×	$4,858	55%	$52,947
25	California State University-East BayHayward	CA	Public	2.69×	$6,858	49%	$73,868
26	University of BaltimoreBaltimore	MD	Public	2.62×	$6,270	45%	$65,666
27	Yale UniversityNew Haven	CT	Nonprofit	2.61×	$11,340	96%	$118,356
28	Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge	MA	Nonprofit	2.57×	$14,815	96%	$152,553
29	Stanford UniversityStanford	CA	Nonprofit	2.55×	$12,307	92%	$125,340
30	California State University-NorthridgeNorthridge	CA	Public	2.51×	$6,346	57%	$63,721
31	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta	GA	Public	2.37×	$12,028	94%	$114,210
32	Purdue University NorthwestHammond	IN	Public	2.35×	$6,223	44%	$58,620
33	Indiana University-KokomoKokomo	IN	Public	2.30×	$5,707	46%	$52,440
34	Indiana University-NorthwestGary	IN	Public	2.19×	$5,567	36%	$48,764
35	California State University-Dominguez HillsCarson	CA	Public	2.16×	$7,244	42%	$62,587
36	University of Virginia's College at WiseWise	VA	Public	2.15×	$5,869	44%	$50,389
37	University of Illinois SpringfieldSpringfield	IL	Public	2.14×	$7,528	53%	$64,479
38	University of Michigan-DearbornDearborn	MI	Public	2.13×	$7,863	60%	$66,897
39	Eastern New Mexico University-Main CampusPortales	NM	Public	2.11×	$5,238	39%	$44,198
40	Berea CollegeBerea	KY	Nonprofit	2.06×	$5,836	66%	$48,071
41	California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomona	CA	Public	2.06×	$9,404	68%	$77,464
42	Rice UniversityHouston	TX	Nonprofit	2.03×	$11,164	95%	$90,773
43	The University of Texas at El PasoEl Paso	TX	Public	2.01×	$6,803	51%	$54,599
44	Florida State UniversityTallahassee	FL	Public	1.98×	$8,605	86%	$68,225
45	Saint Peter's UniversityJersey City	NJ	Nonprofit	1.95×	$8,127	54%	$63,525
46	California State University-Channel IslandsCamarillo	CA	Public	1.94×	$8,534	55%	$66,328
47	University of Illinois ChicagoChicago	IL	Public	1.93×	$9,540	62%	$73,666
48	Portland State UniversityPortland	OR	Public	1.87×	$8,337	53%	$62,447
49	San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco	CA	Public	1.87×	$9,803	50%	$73,299
50	California State University-Long BeachLong Beach	CA	Public	1.84×	$9,426	70%	$69,554
51	University of South FloridaTampa	FL	Public	1.84×	$8,648	78%	$63,660
52	SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury	NY	Public	1.82×	$8,991	43%	$65,583
53	Ferris State UniversityBig Rapids	MI	Public	1.80×	$8,402	44%	$60,457
54	University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill	NC	Public	1.79×	$11,305	91%	$81,094
55	Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York	NY	Nonprofit	1.78×	$15,370	95%	$109,430
56	University of Michigan-FlintFlint	MI	Public	1.76×	$8,320	43%	$58,635
57	University of Washington-Tacoma CampusTacoma	WA	Public	1.75×	$11,900	60%	$83,105
58	New Mexico State University-Main CampusLas Cruces	NM	Public	1.74×	$6,313	54%	$43,922
59	Shepherd UniversityShepherdstown	WV	Public	1.73×	$7,940	50%	$54,833
60	University of Hawaii-West OahuKapolei	HI	Public	1.73×	$8,144	48%	$56,319
61	Texas A&M University-VictoriaVictoria	TX	Public	1.72×	$8,115	22%	$55,871
62	University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks	AK	Public	1.72×	$7,570	37%	$52,180
63	University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley	CA	Public	1.72×	$14,538	94%	$100,212
64	University of New OrleansNew Orleans	LA	Public	1.72×	$7,761	38%	$53,518
65	Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis	MO	Nonprofit	1.71×	$13,360	93%	$91,497
66	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusDenver	CO	Public	1.70×	$10,217	49%	$69,387
67	Lamar UniversityBeaumont	TX	Public	1.69×	$7,984	39%	$53,857
68	Marshall UniversityHuntington	WV	Public	1.68×	$7,341	53%	$49,444
69	University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign	IL	Public	1.68×	$13,042	86%	$87,599
70	Chicago State UniversityChicago	IL	Public	1.66×	$7,273	15%	$48,395
71	Colorado State University PuebloPueblo	CO	Public	1.66×	$8,851	42%	$58,700
72	Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park	CA	Public	1.66×	$10,759	55%	$71,264
73	Murray State UniversityMurray	KY	Public	1.65×	$7,350	60%	$48,482
74	Western New Mexico UniversitySilver City	NM	Public	1.64×	$6,328	44%	$41,452
75	University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla	CA	Public	1.63×	$14,794	86%	$96,197
76	University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor	MI	Public	1.62×	$14,362	93%	$92,832
77	Southeastern Oklahoma State UniversityDurant	OK	Public	1.60×	$7,565	32%	$48,391
78	Vanderbilt UniversityNashville	TN	Nonprofit	1.60×	$15,497	93%	$99,080
79	Harvard UniversityCambridge	MA	Nonprofit	1.59×	$19,148	97%	$121,957
80	Saint Xavier UniversityChicago	IL	Nonprofit	1.59×	$10,171	55%	$64,661
81	University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies OnlineManchester	NH	Public	1.58×	$11,339	20%	$71,477
82	Williams CollegeWilliamstown	MA	Nonprofit	1.58×	$15,157	95%	$95,954
83	Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton	MI	Public	1.57×	$13,446	70%	$84,681
84	Indiana University-IndianapolisIndianapolis	IN	Public	1.56×	$9,479	54%	$58,990
85	University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park	MD	Public	1.56×	$14,296	88%	$89,228
86	Felician UniversityLodi	NJ	Nonprofit	1.55×	$10,378	48%	$64,432
87	University of ChicagoChicago	IL	Nonprofit	1.55×	$16,776	95%	$103,872
88	California State University-SacramentoSacramento	CA	Public	1.54×	$11,186	54%	$69,014
89	California State University-San MarcosSan Marcos	CA	Public	1.54×	$10,939	55%	$67,217
90	Clayton State UniversityMorrow	GA	Public	1.54×	$8,868	38%	$54,701
91	The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio	TX	Public	1.54×	$9,872	52%	$60,704
92	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural CollegeTifton	GA	Public	1.53×	$6,874	40%	$41,999
93	Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights	KY	Public	1.53×	$8,976	54%	$55,024
94	University of the Virgin IslandsCharlotte Amalie	VI	Public	1.53×	$7,071	24%	$43,157
95	University of California-DavisDavis	CA	Public	1.52×	$14,318	86%	$86,999
96	University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle	WA	Public	1.52×	$13,663	85%	$83,105
97	University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles	CA	Public	1.51×	$14,659	93%	$88,581
98	University of Washington-Bothell CampusBothell	WA	Public	1.51×	$13,802	68%	$83,105
99	Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City	UT	Nonprofit	1.51×	$12,748	50%	$76,999
100	Brigham Young UniversityProvo	UT	Nonprofit	1.50×	$13,397	81%	$80,228

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education · ties broken alphabetically