Best Value 2026
Strongest school-wide earnings relative to average annual net price
How this ranking is calculated
Compares school-wide 10-year median earnings with average annual net price to provide a simple value signal.
Source measurement years vary and may precede the ranking edition. The update date records the published dataset, not when every outcome was measured.
See exact overall weights and a worked exampleWhat drives the score
- Median earnings 10 years after enrollment
- Average net price after grants and scholarships
- Ratio of 10-year earnings to average annual net price
Data sources
- Federal government earnings and financial aid data
- Institutional cost and financial aid reporting
This is not a personalized or lifetime ROI calculation. Net price varies by family circumstances, and earnings are school-wide outcomes for federally aided student cohorts.
Top 100 value results
Sorted by College Index's value score. The displayed list index rescales the leading score to 100; equal rounded scores may have different sequential ranks.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY
CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY
CUNY City College
New York, NY
CUNY Queens College
Queens, NY
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
University of Florida-Online
Gainesville, FL
Texas A & M International University
Laredo, TX
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
CUNY York College
Jamaica, NY
Indiana University-Kokomo
Kokomo, IN
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TX
CUNY New York City College of Technology
Brooklyn, NY
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA
College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, NY
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA
Indiana University-Northwest
Gary, IN
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA
CUNY Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, NY
Dalton State College
Dalton, GA
Purdue University Northwest
Hammond, IN
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Portales, NM
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Tacoma, WA
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA
Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel
Monroe, NY
University of Michigan-Flint
Flint, MI
University of Arkansas Grantham
LIttle Rock, AR
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Berea College
Berea, KY
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA
College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, MO
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
Shreveport, LA
Texas A&M University-Victoria
Victoria, TX
Rice University
Houston, TX
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
Florida International University
Miami, FL
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI
Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, NY
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Bothell, WA
California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Dearborn, MI
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, NC
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Marshall University
Huntington, WV
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online
Manchester, NH
Portland State University
Portland, OR
Indiana University-Southeast
New Albany, IN
Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, LA
Rhode Island College
Providence, RI
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
Clayton State University
Morrow, GA
University of Illinois Springfield
Springfield, IL
University of Maine at Presque Isle
Presque Isle, ME
Indiana University-East
Richmond, IN
Trinity Washington University
Washington, DC
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, OK
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
Colorado State University Pueblo
Pueblo, CO
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, IL
University of California-Merced
Merced, CA
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD
University of West Florida
Pensacola, FL
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Compare cost and outcomes
Explore focused comparisons with clear eligibility rules and the numbers behind each result.
Best-Value Public Colleges in California
Compare California public colleges by reported earnings relative to average annual net price, with completion and debt alongside cost.
Colleges with Higher Admission Rates and Strong Earnings
Explore schools reporting admission rates of at least 50% and median earnings of at least $60,000 ten years after enrollment.
Colleges with Low Debt and High Completion Rates
Find colleges with reported completion rates of at least 70% and median federal debt among completers of $20,000 or less.