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 funnel students into the tech sector tend to provide students with 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 18 schools that give you a good shot if you want to work in tech.
18. Georgia Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $899,000
Total cost for four years: $174,000
Average loan amount: $31,700
17. Illinois Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $913,000
Total cost for four years: $224,000
Average loan amount: $26,300
16. Hunter College
20-year net ROI: $920,000
Total cost for four years: $109,000
Average loan amount: $19,800
15. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
20-year net ROI: $926,000
Total cost for four years: $235,000
Average loan amount: $43,000
14. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $929,000
Total cost for four years: $232,000
Average loan amount: $45,500
13. Brown University
20-year net ROI: $936,000
Total cost for four years: $247,000
Average loan amount: $28,500
12. Stevens Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $959,000
Total cost for four years: $244,000
Average loan amount: $45,800
11. Duke University
20-year net ROI: $970,000
Total cost for four years: $252,000
Average loan amount: $24,000
10. Princeton University
20-year net ROI: $983,000
Total cost for four years: $231,000
Average loan amount: $14,100
9. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
20-year net ROI: $988,000
Total cost for four years: $237,000
Average loan amount: $19,300
8. Carnegie Mellon University
20-year net ROI: $994,000
Total cost for four years: $251,000
Average loan amount: $31,500
7. Columbia University
20-year net ROI: $1,008,000
Total cost for four years: $261,000
Average loan amount: $31,800
6. University of California at Berkeley
20-year net ROI: $1,042,000
Total cost for four years: $229,000
Average loan amount: $23,300
5. California Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $1,043,000
Total cost for four years: $240,000
Average loan amount: $19,000
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $1,074,000
Total cost for four years: $240,000
Average loan amount: $32,200
3. Yale University
20-year net ROI: $1,086,000
Total cost for four years: $251,000
Average loan amount: $19,700
2. Stanford University
20-year net ROI: $1,102,000
Total cost for four years: $247,000
Average loan amount: $29,100
1. Harvey Mudd College
20-year net ROI: $1,194,000
Total cost for four years: $260,000
Average loan amount: $24,400
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