We rank colleges by outcomes after graduation — balancing financial returns, affordability, access, and economic mobility.
Our North Star
This ranking reflects what tends to matter most after graduation — earnings, affordability, access, and long-term outcomes — not name recognition alone.
We've adjusted the rankings to reflect a balanced view across financial returns, affordability, access, and mobility. Schools that offer strong outcomes across these dimensions now appear higher.
All schools remain visible — we've simply reordered them to reflect what you care about most.
Clarify what matters
Answer a few quick questions to reorder the rankings based on what matters most to you.
We'll ask a few quick questions to understand how you're thinking — you can skip anything.
What matters most to you when choosing a college right now?
| Select | Rank | Institution | Net Cost | Med. Earnings | Debt | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Cuny Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | $3k | $76k | $31k | 50.5% | |
#2 | University Of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | $12k | $85k | $39k | 24.5% | |
#3 | University Of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $15k | $92k | $41k | 11.7% | |
#4 | University Of California-Davis Davis, CA | $15k | $81k | $37k | 41.6% | |
#5 | University Of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | $13k | $81k | $37k | 25.6% | |
#6 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA | $6k | $63k | $30k | 86.7% | |
#7 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | $14k | $79k | $31k | 80.2% | |
#8 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | $9k | $64k | $31k | 47.1% | |
#9 | University Of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | $12k | $69k | $39k | 78.5% | |
#10 | University Of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $14k | $83k | $38k | 8.7% | |
#11 | $12k | $72k | $31k | 73.7% | ||
#12 | The University Of Texas At Austin Austin, TX | $20k | $75k | $45k | 29.1% | |
#13 | Cuny Hunter College New York, NY | $2k | $63k | $31k | 54.0% | |
#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 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $4k | $59k | $26k | 91.9% | |
#17 | Florida International University Miami, FL | $9k | $60k | $30k | 58.8% | |
#18 | University Of Houston Houston, TX | $14k | $62k | $36k | 69.5% | |
#19 | University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | $15k | $81k | $50k | 43.7% | |
#20 | The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | $7k | $50k | $21k | 84.8% | |
#21 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | $14k | $76k | $22k | 69.2% | |
#22 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $21k | $72k | $48k | 63.2% | |
#23 | Cuny City College New York, NY | $3k | $66k | $28k | 58.1% | |
#24 | The University Of Texas At Arlington Arlington, TX | $15k | $63k | $30k | 81.3% | |
#25 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA | $18k | $76k | $43k | 88.8% |
Metrics Used
Current view: Selected Program
Metrics stay in the same order across views so you can compare easily.
Explore pre-built rankings by location or major field of study.
