Public colleges with the best bang for your buck

college roi massachusetts maritime academy

20-year return on investment : $731,200
Annualized return: 14.7%
Total 4-year cost of attendance: $88,500

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy offers just seven undergraduate programs, and has fewer than 2,000 cadets studying for careers in marine engineering, business and transportation.

Coursework is truly hands on, with some training taking place on ships that dock near the school.

According to PayScale, the median salary for a marine engineer or port engineer is around $110,000, and a graduate from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy can expect to make around $55,000 in their first five years after graduation.

First published March 5, 2015: 1:50 PM ET

Source: PayScale
Based on employee survey data, PayScale calculated total median pay for a school's undergraduate alumni over a 20-year period and compared it to the median pay for a high school graduate over 24 years. The return on investment (ROI) in 2014 dollars was determined by taking the difference between those median pay figures and subtracting the in-state cost of attending the school in 2014 -- including tuition, room and board, and other costs -- and adjusting for scholarships and grants. The annualized ROI is calculated by dividing the earnings differential by the total cost and represents the percent of expected ROI received each year after graduation. Unlike in previous PayScale reports, the earnings differentials in this report do not take into account graduation rates. Alumni who attended graduate school or other higher education were excluded.

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