These four-year public colleges offer their students an affordable higher education, with relatively high salaries. As students weigh the costs and benefits of higher education, it’s especially important to find schools that can offer them the best possible outcomes. For students looking for a high return on investment, these institutions may offer good opportunities.
| College |
State |
Average Net Price |
Typical Earnings |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona |
California |
$11,085 |
$50,700 |
| California State University-East Bay |
California |
$10,340 |
$51,200 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College |
New York |
$6,841 |
$54,900 |
| CUNY Queens College |
New York |
$5,998 |
$47,500 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus |
Georgia |
$10,994 |
$74,500 |
| Iowa State University |
Iowa |
$14,100 |
$47,800 |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology |
New Mexico |
$11,451 |
$54,300 |
| San Diego State University |
California |
$12,567 |
$47,400 |
| San Jose State University |
California |
$12,862 |
$53,700 |
| Stony Brook University |
New York |
$13,519 |
$55,000 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station |
Texas |
$11,315 |
$53,900 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas |
Texas |
$12,050 |
$49,700 |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy |
New York |
$5,538 |
$82,000 |
| University of Baltimore |
Maryland |
$14,180 |
$56,500 |
| University of California-Berkeley |
California |
$13,707 |
$60,800 |
| University of California-Irvine |
California |
$12,771 |
$54,500 |
| University of California-Los Angeles |
California |
$13,399 |
$59,600 |
| University of California-San Diego |
California |
$14,136 |
$59,000 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus |
Colorado |
$13,774 |
$57,400 |
| University of Florida |
Florida |
$11,778 |
$51,100 |
| University of Houston |
Texas |
$13,028 |
$48,900 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago |
Illinois |
$13,811 |
$51,100 |
| University of Maryland-University College |
Maryland |
$10,558 |
$49,900 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
North Carolina |
$13,243 |
$51,000 |
| University of Utah |
Utah |
$13,874 |
$49,500 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus |
Washington |
$13,566 |
$53,700 |
Note: These data include only public institutions identified as predominantly four-year institutions by the College Scorecard. In addition, calculations exclude institutions with fewer than 500 undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled. The list is constructed of the remaining public four-year institutions that fall in the top 25 percent of all predominantly four-year institutions for median earnings 10 years after beginning enrollment and for low net price. Typical earnings reflect the median earnings of federal financial aid recipients 10 years after they first enrolled at the institution. Net price reflects the sticker price, less any grant or scholarship aid, for all federal financial aid recipients at the school. Percentile calculations are derived using institutions’ Unitid as the unit of analysis. List includes only institutions also featured in College Navigator and excludes institutions that are not main campus locations.