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Methodology

We evaluate bachelor's degree programs across the country using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Each program is assessed on nine metrics spanning three categories.

Outcomes
Graduation Rate

Percentage of students who complete their degree within 150% of normal time (6 years for a 4-year program).

Retention Rate

Percentage of full-time students who return for their second year, a leading indicator of student satisfaction and institutional support.

Median Earnings Post-Graduation

What graduates of this specific program earn upon entering the workforce.

Earnings 5 Years Post-Graduation

Longer-horizon salary trajectory, measuring whether graduates see sustained wage growth.

Affordability
Average Annual Cost

The average net price of attendance after financial aid, across all income levels.

Median Student Debt

The median debt load carried by graduates of this specific program.

Borrower Rate

The number of student debt borrowers divided by the number of graduates in the program; lower is better

Median Monthly Payment

The real monthly cash-flow impact graduates face after leaving school.

Return on Investment
Break-Even Years

How many years after graduation until cumulative earnings above a high school baseline wage exceed the total cost of the degree.

Which Schools Qualify

Not every program makes the list. To be included, a school must meet all of the following:

At least 50 degrees awarded in the selected program, ensuring meaningful sample size.
Retention rate above 60%.
Graduation rate above 60%.
How We Score
Each qualifying school receives a composite score using z-score normalization:
For every metric, we calculate the average and spread across all qualifying schools in that program.
Each school's value is then measured as the number of standard deviations above or below the average.
For metrics where lower is better (cost, debt, break-even time), the score is inverted so that more affordable and lower-debt programs are rewarded.
The nine normalized scores are combined into a single weighted composite, with heavier emphasis on outcomes and completion.
Schools are ranked by their composite score and the top 25 are displayed.
What We Display
The final ranking table includes Acceptance Rate — Provided for context to help students gauge admissibility, but not factored into the ranking

All data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which collects institutional and program-level data from schools participating in federal financial aid programs. Earnings data comes from federal tax records. Cost and debt data reflect the most recently available reporting year.

Full Rankings

Unlock the Complete Rankings

Methodology

We built a data-driven college ranking system that answers one question: Which schools deliver the best outcomes for students relative to what they cost? No reputation surveys, no subjective opinions — just federal data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. The IVI (Irnerius Value Index).

Rankings and comparisons are based on the following 11 scored metrics
1st Year Salary higher = better

Median earnings one year after completion among Title IV financial aid recipients (students who received federal grants or loans). This is not all graduates — it captures the federally tracked population, though is representative of the school population.

4th Year Salary higher = better

Median earnings four years after completion, same Title IV recipient population. Provides a longer-horizon earnings picture.

Salary Growth % higher = better

Percentage increase from 1st year to 4th year median salary. Measures earnings trajectory and career momentum beyond the starting point.

Net Cost lower = better

Average annual net price after all grant and scholarship aid is applied. Represents what families actually pay out of pocket. For public/state schools, this is the in-state cost for students.

Earnings-to-Cost Ratio (ECR) higher = better

1st year median salary divided by net cost. A pure return-on-investment measure — how many dollars of early-career earnings each dollar of cost produces.

Debt-to-Income % (DTI) lower = better

Annual federal student loan payments (monthly payment × 12) as a percentage of 1st year median salary. Based solely on federal loan debt, not private borrowing. Measures how burdensome federal debt service is relative to early earnings.

Federal Loan Rate lower = better

Percentage of students who took out federal student loans. A lower rate suggests the school is more affordable or that students rely less on federal borrowing to attend.

Any Loan Rate lower = better

Percentage of students who borrowed from any source — federal, private, or institutional. The gap between this and the Federal Loan Rate serves as a proxy for how much students turn to non-federal (often higher-interest) borrowing.

Retention Rate higher = better

Percentage of full-time students who return for their second year. A foundational measure of student satisfaction and institutional support.

Graduation Rate higher = better

Percentage of first-time, full-time students who complete their degree within six years (150% of normal time). The standard federal benchmark for on-time completion.

Pell Grant Rate higher = better

Percentage of the most recent incoming class receiving federal Pell Grants, which are awarded to students with the highest demonstrated financial need. A measure of the school's commitment to economic accessibility and socioeconomic diversity.

Notes
Peer groups reset every time. Adjusting the parameters changes the comparison set and with it, every score, rank, and composite score.
Online-only schools are excluded. The rankings focus on institutions with physical campuses.
Missing data is shown as "—" and that metric is not scored for that school. This is common for open-admissions institutions that don't require SAT/ACT scores.
Small pools (fewer than 3 schools) are unreliable, we use a meaningful peer group to be statistically valid.
National rankings compress the middle. With hundreds of schools in the pool, most cluster near average so standout performance matters more at scale.

All underlying data comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. No institutional self-reporting, no surveys, no ad revenue influence.

Overall Rankings

Disclaimer: All salary data (computed as mean or median) comes from former students who attended the university and/or program and can be used as a projection, but not a guarantee of future salary outcomes. Actual outcomes may vary.

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