Where you go to college isn't just an investment in the next four years, it's an investment in the rest of your life. And depending on which industry you want to work in, some schools may be a better bet than others.
As part of its annual College ROI Report, Payscale found the schools that both funnel students into jobs in business and provide substantial returns on their investments.
Payscale's 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, a school's cost is based on out-of-state tuition, where applicable.
Though no one can guarantee that attending any school will result in a particular ROI, here are 15 schools that give you a good shot if you want to work in business.
15. Stanford University
20-year net ROI: $730,000
Total cost for four years: $247,000
Average loan amount: $29,100
14. New Jersey Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $731,000
Total cost for four years: $184,000
Average loan amount: $31,900
13. Missouri University of Science and Technology
20-year net ROI: $742,000
Total cost for four years: $147,000
Average loan amount: $27,500
12. Kettering University
20-year net ROI: $742,000
Total cost for four years: $208,000
Average loan amount: $41,700
11. Georgia Tech
20-year net ROI: $751,000
Total cost for four years: $174,000
Average loan amount: $31,700
10. Dartmouth College
20-year net ROI: $751,000
Total cost for four years: $257,000
Average loan amount: $23,200
9. Cornell University
20-year net ROI: $752,000
Total cost for four years: $250,000
Average loan amount: $29,200
8. Harvard University
20-year net ROI: $788,000
Total cost for four years: $244,000
Average loan amount: $20,300
7. University of Pennsylvania
20-year net ROI: $790,000
Total cost for four years: $252,000
Average loan amount: $25,400
6. Babson College
20-year net ROI: $810,000
Total cost for four years: $246,000
Average loan amount: $30,000
5. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $813,000
Total cost for four years: $232,000
Average loan amount: $45,500
4. Colorado School of Mines
20-year net ROI: $823,000
Total cost for four years: $188,000
Average loan amount: $33,400
3. United States Merchant Marine Academy
20-year net ROI: $891,000
Total cost for four years: $33,100
Average loan amount: $12,300
2. Stevens Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $928,000
Total cost for four years: $244,000
Average loan amount: $45,800
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $1,057,000
Total cost for four years: $240,000
Average loan amount: $32,200
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