Which Colleges Are Worth the Sticker Price?

With all this talk about possible Pell Grant cuts, acceptance rates plummeting and universities facing serious tuition hikes – Arizona universities could face hikes of up to 22% – which schools are worth the outrageous sticker price of about $200,000? According to PayScale.com’s annual survey of colleges with the highest return on investment rates, the California Institute of Technology tops the list with a 12.2% annual return. PayScale’s data is pulled from 1.4 million pay reports from persons who obtained bachelors degrees in the last 20 years, for more on their methodology click here. Check out who made the cut below:

• California Institute of Technology

  2010 cost: $198,700
  30-year net return on investment: $1,713,000
  Annual return on investment: 12.2%
  

• Harvey Mudd College

  2010 cost: $203,300
  30-year net ROI: $1,622,000
  Annual ROI: 11.9%
  

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  2010 cost: $201,000
  30-year net ROI: $1,518,000
  Annual ROI: 11.7%
  

• Princeton University

  2010 cost: $198,700
  30-year net ROI: $1,494,000
  Annual ROI: 11.7%
  

• Stanford University

  2010 cost: $210,400
  30-year net ROI: $1,478,000
  Annual ROI: 11.7%
  

• Dartmouth College

  2010 cost: $203,300
  30-year net ROI: $1,622,000
  Annual ROI: 11.9%
  

• Duke University

  2010 cost: $201,300
  30-year net ROI: $1,419,000
  Annual ROI: 11.5%
  

• Harvard University

  2010 cost: $202,600
  30-year net ROI: $1,372,000
  Annual ROI: 11.4%
  

• University of Notre Dame

  2010 cost: $194,500
  30-year net ROI: $1,356,000
  Annual ROI: 11.5%
  

• University of Pennsylvania

  2010 cost: $203,900
  30-year net ROI: $1,355,000
  Annual ROI: 11.3%