We rank colleges by outcomes after graduation — balancing financial returns, affordability, access, and economic mobility.
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This ranking reflects what tends to matter most after graduation — earnings, affordability, access, and long-term outcomes — not name recognition alone.
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| Select | Rank | Institution | Net Cost | Med. Earnings | Debt | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | University Of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | $12k | $85k | $39k | 24.5% | |
#2 | University Of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | $13k | $81k | $37k | 25.6% | |
#3 | Cuny Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | $3k | $76k | $31k | 50.5% | |
#4 | University Of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $15k | $92k | $41k | 11.7% | |
#5 | University Of California-Davis Davis, CA | $15k | $81k | $37k | 41.6% | |
#6 | University Of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $14k | $83k | $38k | 8.7% | |
#7 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | $9k | $64k | $31k | 47.1% | |
#8 | University Of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | $12k | $69k | $39k | 78.5% | |
#9 | $12k | $72k | $31k | 73.7% | ||
#10 | Florida International University Miami, FL | $9k | $60k | $30k | 58.8% | |
#11 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $4k | $59k | $26k | 91.9% | |
#12 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA | $6k | $63k | $30k | 86.7% | |
#13 | The University Of Texas At Austin Austin, TX | $20k | $75k | $45k | 29.1% | |
#14 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA | $8k | $59k | $27k | 93.2% | |
#15 | California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA | $11k | $65k | $31k | 93.6% | |
#16 | The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | $7k | $50k | $21k | 84.8% | |
#17 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | $14k | $79k | $31k | 80.2% | |
#18 | University Of California-Riverside Riverside, CA | $14k | $68k | $35k | 63.3% | |
#19 | University Of Central Florida Orlando, FL | $11k | $58k | $34k | 39.5% | |
#20 | University Of Houston Houston, TX | $14k | $62k | $36k | 69.5% | |
#21 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | $12k | $124k | $45k | 3.9% | |
#22 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | $6k | $61k | $28k | 96.4% | |
#23 | Cuny Hunter College New York, NY | $2k | $63k | $31k | 54.0% | |
#24 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $21k | $72k | $48k | 63.2% | |
#25 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA | $6k | $60k | $27k | 98.3% |
Metrics Used
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