Private colleges tend to come with a steep price tag.
Is it worth the cost in the long run?
CNBC used the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard — a tool that provides a variety of data on thousands of colleges, including the median earnings of federally aided students 10 years after enrolling — to highlight the private schools where students go on to earn the most money.
For our ranking, we restricted the list to bachelor's degree-granting institutions and excluded special focus institutions.
Scroll down to see which colleges cracked the top 17 and the average annual cost of each school, which the U.S. Department of Education defines as "the average annual net price for federal aid recipients, after aid from the school, state, or federal government."
17. Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Average annual cost: $20,168
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $74,200
16. Columbia University
New York, New York
Average annual cost: $22,298
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $75,200
15. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Average annual cost: $31,634
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,200
13. Duke University (TIE)
Durham, North Carolina
Average annual cost: $25,369
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,700
13. Lehigh University (TIE)
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Average annual cost: $31,267
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,700
12. Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts
Average annual cost: $31,616
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $76,900
11. Kettering University
Flint, Michigan
Average annual cost: $33,861
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,400
10. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Average annual cost: $25,308
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,800
9. Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Average annual cost: $7,103
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $77,900
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York
Average annual cost: $33,595
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $79,600
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Average annual cost: $24,370
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $79,700
6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts
Average annual cost: $35,187
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $80,300
5. Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey
Average annual cost: $28,296
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $83,700
4. Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.
Average annual cost: $27,506
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $84,000
3. Stanford University
Stanford, California
Average annual cost: $14,559
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $86,000
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Average annual cost: $23,547
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $89,200
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Average annual cost: $14,068
Median annual earnings 10 years after enrolling: $95,500
