College

University of Not Worth It: Schools that will leave you in the hole

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If you're considering college for yourself or a child, do yourself a favor: think carefully about these schools.

The Atlantic on Wednesday published a list of schools with a dubious distinction: all of them had a 20-year net negative return of at least $30,000. At some schools, depending on their majors, a typical high school grad will have earned more than some of the graduates by nearly $200,000, the magazine reported.

Although some of the schools on the list were relatively well-regarded, majors such as arts, humanities and education showed a very poor rate of return, The Atlantic reported. An education major from Virginia Commonwealth fell $169,000 into the earnings hole.

Most of the schools on the list are public colleges, yet a few are private institutions. A representative for Shaw University, one of the schools listed in the article, said in a statement to CNBC that the article's methodology was "seriously flawed," and did not "take into account the many factors that make a university a 'good return on investment'."

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Virginia Commonwealth, did not immediately return a request for comment.

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