THE 2026 DATA REPORT
The 50 Colleges With the Best Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
Which schools have the highest reported earnings relative to average annual net price? This ratio combines federal earnings and price fields from different student cohorts. It is a starting point for comparison, not a personal return-on-investment estimate.
Source: IPEDS (net price) + U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (earnings). Data: 2024 release. Published: May 2026. Updated October 2026: the ranking now reads every eligible school and leaves out program-length prices.
How This Ratio Works
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio = median annual earnings for employed, federally aided former students 10 years after entry divided by average annual net price for full-time, first-time students awarded grant or scholarship aid. These are different cohorts. A 4.0x ratio compares two school-level figures; it does not mean an individual earns $4 for each $1 they paid. Very small net prices can create unusually large ratios.
| # | School | Net Cost/yr | Med. Earnings | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George C Wallace Community College-DothanDothan, AL | $476 | $31,399 | 66.0x |
| 2 | Lamar State College-OrangeOrange, TX | $600 | $36,587 | 61.0x |
| 3 | College of Biblical Studies-HoustonHouston, TX | $672 | $39,260 | 58.4x |
| 4 | Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboro, NC | $658 | $34,728 | 52.8x |
| 5 | Eastern Gateway Community CollegeSteubenville, OH | $672 | $34,127 | 50.8x |
| 6 | Cleveland Community CollegeShelby, NC | $706 | $33,755 | 47.8x |
| 7 | Oxnard CollegeOxnard, CA | $1,085 | $41,393 | 38.2x |
| 8 | Escuela De Troqueleria Y HerramentajeBayamon, PR | $737 | $26,293 | 35.7x |
| 9 | Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de San JuanSan Juan, PR | $804 | $26,293 | 32.7x |
| 10 | Henry Ford CollegeDearborn, MI | $1,064 | $34,795 | 32.7x |
| 11 | Piedmont Community CollegeRoxboro, NC | $1,095 | $33,274 | 30.4x |
| 12 | Talladega CollegeTalladega, AL | $1,267 | $32,229 | 25.4x |
| 13 | Pamlico Community CollegeGrantsboro, NC | $1,321 | $30,005 | 22.7x |
| 14 | United States Merchant Marine AcademyKings Point, NY | $4,101 | $90,610 | 22.1x |
| 15 | Trident Technical CollegeCharleston, SC | $1,818 | $38,253 | 21.0x |
| 16 | New Mexico State University-GrantsGrants, NM | $1,864 | $39,067 | 21.0x |
| 17 | Middlesex Community CollegeBedford, MA | $2,430 | $50,651 | 20.8x |
| 18 | Middlesex CollegeEdison, NJ | $2,314 | $46,861 | 20.3x |
| 19 | South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX | $1,844 | $36,788 | 20.0x |
| 20 | Southern Regional Technical CollegeThomasville, GA | $1,659 | $31,293 | 18.9x |
| 21 | Victor Valley CollegeVictorville, CA | $1,947 | $36,119 | 18.6x |
| 22 | Imperial Valley CollegeImperial, CA | $1,890 | $34,487 | 18.2x |
| 23 | St Petersburg CollegeSt. Petersburg, FL | $2,333 | $42,557 | 18.2x |
| 24 | College of the SequoiasVisalia, CA | $2,152 | $39,092 | 18.2x |
| 25 | West Virginia University at ParkersburgParkersburg, WV | $1,948 | $35,171 | 18.1x |
| 26 | Moorpark CollegeMoorpark, CA | $2,727 | $49,044 | 18.0x |
| 27 | Macomb Community CollegeWarren, MI | $2,350 | $41,596 | 17.7x |
| 28 | Colegio de Cinematografía Artes y TelevisionBayamon, PR | $1,460 | $25,707 | 17.6x |
| 29 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY | $4,326 | $75,971 | 17.6x |
| 30 | Ventura CollegeVentura, CA | $2,522 | $43,430 | 17.2x |
| 31 | Trinity International University-IllinoisDeerfield, IL | $2,835 | $46,989 | 16.6x |
| 32 | Coastal Pines Technical CollegeWaycross, GA | $1,834 | $30,214 | 16.5x |
| 33 | Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL | $2,727 | $42,244 | 15.5x |
| 34 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical CollegeValdosta, GA | $2,000 | $30,864 | 15.4x |
| 35 | Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboro, NC | $2,215 | $34,148 | 15.4x |
| 36 | Chipola CollegeMarianna, FL | $2,467 | $37,378 | 15.2x |
| 37 | Moraine Valley Community CollegePalos Hills, IL | $2,915 | $43,892 | 15.1x |
| 38 | CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, NY | $3,961 | $58,013 | 14.6x |
| 39 | Lamar State College-Port ArthurPort Arthur, TX | $2,543 | $37,120 | 14.6x |
| 40 | University of New Mexico-Gallup CampusGallup, NM | $3,097 | $44,792 | 14.5x |
| 41 | Texas Southmost CollegeBrownsville, TX | $2,905 | $41,900 | 14.4x |
| 42 | CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY | $4,431 | $63,163 | 14.3x |
| 43 | CUNY City CollegeNew York, NY | $4,664 | $66,039 | 14.2x |
| 44 | Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL | $3,090 | $42,889 | 13.9x |
| 45 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, NY | $4,082 | $56,195 | 13.8x |
| 46 | Lewis and Clark Community CollegeGodfrey, IL | $2,781 | $37,724 | 13.6x |
| 47 | CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY | $4,512 | $60,752 | 13.5x |
| 48 | North Florida CollegeMadison, FL | $2,551 | $33,929 | 13.3x |
| 49 | California State University-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA | $4,460 | $59,211 | 13.3x |
| 50 | Dallas CollegeDallas, TX | $3,177 | $41,714 | 13.1x |
Key Findings
- 01George C Wallace Community College-Dothan leads with a ratio of 66.0x: reported median earnings are $31,399 and average annual net price is $476.
- 02The median ratio in the top 50 is 18.0x, the midpoint of these school-level ratios, not a return for an individual student.
- 03Public schools account for 46 of the top 50 positions (92%), a descriptive count rather than evidence of a causal return from attending a public school.
- 04The denominator is average net price after grants, not sticker tuition. Schools with very low reported net prices can rise sharply in this ratio; inspect both figures and the school profile before treating a rank as a decision.
Methodology
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which matches federal student aid records to IRS tax records. The figure is median annual earnings of students 10 years after first receiving federal financial aid, restricted to those working rather than enrolled in additional schooling.
Net price data comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). It is an average for full-time, first-time undergraduates awarded grant or scholarship aid from federal, state, or local governments or the institution, after subtracting that aid. For public institutions, the federal measure reflects in-state or in-district students.
The ratio is computed as: earnings_10yr / avg_net_price. Only schools that offer undergraduate programs are included, and schools with missing, zero, or negative values in either field are excluded. We also leave out 1,556 schools that price a whole program or use a non-standard calendar, because their net price is not an annual figure. The cohorts and observation years differ, so this ratio is not a causal return-on-investment measure. Read the federal field definitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this ratio different from a simple ROI calculation?
It divides earnings and net-price figures from different groups of students. It does not track one student's total cost or later income. Use it to spot schools for deeper review, then compare price by income and program.
Why does this list include schools I have never heard of?
Some community and technical colleges have extremely low average net prices after grants, which can make this ratio large. Review the program, completion rate, and both underlying figures before comparing them with four-year colleges.
Where does the earnings data come from?
College Scorecard uses federal aid and tax records for employed, federally aided former students. The 10-year measure is counted after entry, not graduation, and does not include every student who attended.
Can I filter this for 4-year colleges only?
This report includes every undergraduate-serving institution that reports an annual net price, so community colleges appear alongside four-year colleges. Use GradFax search to filter by school type, control, location, major, and more.
Find your best-fit school
This report shows the top 50. GradFax has earnings, cost, and 40+ other data points for 6,000+ schools.
Search All 6,000+ Schools