Low-Cost Colleges That Pay Off For Middle-Income Families
These colleges charge families earning $48,000 to $110,000 the least after financial aid, among schools that earn an A or B from The College Investor for graduate earnings, graduation rates and student debt.
| Rank | College | Grade | What They Pay | Median Earnings | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $3,001 a year | $95,954 | 95% |
| 2 | Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $3,054 a year | $133,523 | 97% |
| 3 | California State University-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · Public | B | Average $3,382 a year | $62,555 | 55% |
| 4 | California State University-StanislausTurlock, CA · Public | B | Average $3,918 a year | $65,560 | 52% |
| 5 | Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $4,341 a year | $118,356 | 96% |
| 6 | California State University-San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · Public | B | Average $4,676 a year | $61,951 | 53% |
| 7 | Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · Public | A | Average $4,686 a year | $83,742 | 70% |
| 8 | CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · Public | B | Average $4,951 a year | $70,502 | 59% |
| 9 | CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, NY · Public | B | Average $5,096 a year | $68,324 | 53% |
| 10 | California State University-BakersfieldBakersfield, CA · Public | B | Average $5,160 a year | $62,381 | 48% |
| 11 | University of ChicagoChicago, IL · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $5,272 a year | $103,872 | 95% |
| 12 | CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · Public | B | Average $5,294 a year | $66,519 | 53% |
| 13 | California State University-FullertonFullerton, CA · Public | B | Average $5,423 a year | $69,015 | 68% |
| 14 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, NY · Public | B | Average $5,436 a year | $65,870 | 54% |
| 15 | CUNY City CollegeNew York, NY · Public | B | Average $5,467 a year | $69,594 | 50% |
| 16 | CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · Public | B | Average $5,912 a year | $65,181 | 48% |
| 17 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,152 a year | $152,553 | 96% |
| 18 | California State University-FresnoFresno, CA · Public | B | Average $6,166 a year | $62,756 | 58% |
| 19 | Virginia Military InstituteLexington, VA · Public | B | Average $6,274 a year | $85,178 | 72% |
| 20 | Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,603 a year | $125,340 | 92% |
| 21 | Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,660 a year | $111,162 | 95% |
| 22 | Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, VA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,825 a year | $102,966 | 96% |
| 23 | Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,880 a year | $109,430 | 95% |
| 24 | Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,898 a year | $99,371 | 91% |
| 25 | Colby CollegeWaterville, ME · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $6,941 a year | $88,776 | 87% |
| 26 | Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $7,060 a year | $121,957 | 97% |
| 27 | California State University-East BayHayward, CA · Public | B | Average $7,155 a year | $73,868 | 49% |
| 28 | University of FloridaGainesville, FL · Public | A | Average $7,728 a year | $78,456 | 92% |
| 29 | California State University-NorthridgeNorthridge, CA · Public | B | Average $7,864 a year | $63,721 | 57% |
| 30 | Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $8,092 a year | $104,590 | 93% |
| 31 | Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · Public | B | Average $8,123 a year | $75,278 | 49% |
| 32 | University of Michigan-DearbornDearborn, MI · Public | B | Average $8,133 a year | $66,897 | 61% |
| 33 | University of Illinois SpringfieldSpringfield, IL · Public | B | Average $8,416 a year | $64,479 | 53% |
| 34 | Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $8,468 a year | $99,080 | 93% |
| 35 | Michigan Technological UniversityHoughton, MI · Public | B | Average $8,660 a year | $84,681 | 70% |
| 36 | University of South FloridaTampa, FL · Public | B | Average $8,750 a year | $63,660 | 78% |
| 37 | Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $8,794 a year | $90,458 | 91% |
| 38 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL · Public | A | Average $8,938 a year | $87,599 | 86% |
| 39 | California State University-Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · Public | B | Average $8,963 a year | $66,328 | 55% |
| 40 | Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL · Public | A | Average $9,160 a year | $68,225 | 86% |
| 41 | University of Washington-Tacoma CampusTacoma, WA · Public | A | Average $9,408 a year | $83,105 | 60% |
| 42 | California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomona, CA · Public | A | Average $9,426 a year | $77,464 | 68% |
| 43 | California State University-Long BeachLong Beach, CA · Public | A | Average $9,519 a year | $69,554 | 70% |
| 44 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusDenver, CO · Public | B | Average $9,572 a year | $69,387 | 49% |
| 45 | Massachusetts Maritime AcademyBuzzards Bay, MA · Public | B | Average $9,678 a year | $104,098 | 73% |
| 46 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC · Public | A | Average $9,822 a year | $81,094 | 91% |
| 47 | University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · Public | A | Average $9,828 a year | $92,832 | 93% |
| 48 | Rice UniversityHouston, TX · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $9,971 a year | $90,773 | 95% |
| 49 | University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · Public | A | Average $10,006 a year | $83,105 | 85% |
| 50 | Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · Private Non-Profit | A | Average $10,110 a year | $113,531 | 95% |
Source: The College Investor.
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