Money Moves

Colleges with the best bang for your buck

10.  Harvard University

best bang for buck colleges 10 Harvard University
10
  • 20-year return on investment: $905,000
  • Total 4-year cost: $235,000

Harvard has no shortage of notable alumni. They include 47 Nobel Laureates; Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and 30 other heads of state; and 48 Pulitzer Prize winners.

It's not a stretch to say that landing a job of their dreams won't be hard for grads. Many of those jobs will also pay very well.

And the school offers substantial scholarships. It has pledged that students from families with incomes below $65,000 will generally pay nothing toward the cost of attending.

First published April 7, 2016: 7:15 AM ET
Source: PayScale
Based on survey data, PayScale calculated the total median pay for a school's undergraduate alumnus over a 20-year career and compared it to that of a high school graduate who worked for 24 years. It took the difference in pay and subtracted the cost of attending school to determine the return on investment in 2015 dollars. The cost of attendance included tuition, room and board, and books -- and adjusted to account for the average grant awarded to students. Alumni who went on to graduate school were excluded from the data.

Latest Galleries

Partner Offers

LendingTree

Mortgage & Savings


Most Popular

LendingTree