After 20 years, graduates of Babson College have a median salary of $181,400, one of the highest medians on Forbes’ list.
ROI + 20-YEAR PAY
Graduates of elite science, business, and liberal arts programs continue to command the highest long-term salaries, according to Forbes’ latest list.
MIT led all schools with a median 20-year salary of $196,900, followed closely by Princeton University at $194,100. Harvey Mudd College, a small STEM-focused liberal arts school in California, ranked just 84th overall but posted the third-highest salary payoff at $185,900.
Rounding out the top tier for mid-career salaries are Babson College ($181,400), Stanford University ($181,200), Santa Clara University ($179,500), Dartmouth College ($178,700), the University of Pennsylvania ($178,300), and Harvard University ($177,400).
Forbes also produced a separate ROI ranking this year. Four of the top five spots went to City University of New York (CUNY) campuses, underscoring the payoff of low-cost, commuter-based public education. Princeton, despite its sky-high sticker price, was the lone private school in the ROI top five thanks to its generous aid and low student debt.
Forbes’ Top 25 Colleges For ROI |
|||||||
ROI Rank |
Overall Rank |
Name |
State |
Type |
Av. Grant Aid |
Av. Debt |
Median 20-year Salary |
| 1 | 183 | CUNY, Brooklyn College | NY | Public | $9,290 | $6,646 | $121,600 |
| 2 | 102 | CUNY, Hunter College | NY | Public | $9,624 | $7,576 | $115,900 |
| 3 | 3 | Princeton University | NJ | Private | $60,629 | $7,667 | $194,100 |
| 4 | 166 | CUNY, The City College of New York | NY | Public | $9,236 | $6,182 | $114,900 |
| 5 | 326 | CUNY, Lehman College | NY | Public | $9,389 | $4,727 | $98,300 |
| 6 | 4 | Stanford University | CA | Private | $64,164 | $14,075 | $181,200 |
| 7 | 19 | California Institute of Technology | CA | Private | $52,294 | $8,187 | $175,400 |
| 8 | 143 | CUNY, Queens College | NY | Public | $8,904 | $5,928 | $118,500 |
| 9 | 241 | CUNY, John Jay College of Criminal Justice | NY | Public | $9,284 | $10,927 | $102,700 |
| 10 | 90 | CUNY, Baruch College | NY | Public | $9,867 | $5,399 | $136,700 |
| 11 | 12 | Rice University | TX | Private | $44,409 | $7,665 | $150,600 |
| 12 | 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | Private | $58,331 | $12,071 | $196,900 |
| 13 | 358 | University of Florida–Online | FL | Public | $7,183 | $6,292 | — |
| 14 | 6 | Harvard University | MA | Private | $64,942 | $8,729 | $177,400 |
| 15 | 30 | University of Florida | FL | Public | $10,724 | $6,562 | $127,500 |
| 16 | 452 | California State University–Dominguez Hills | CA | Public | $11,074 | $4,505 | $103,300 |
| 17 | 7 | Williams College | MA | Private | $56,164 | $6,535 | $173,900 |
| 18 | 13 | University of Chicago | IL | Private | $57,562 | $6,810 | $151,000 |
| 19 | 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | Private | $64,595 | $18,750 | $152,200 |
| 20 | 301 | California State University, Stanislaus | CA | Public | $11,362 | $4,634 | $119,600 |
| 21 | 451 | CUNY, College of Staten Island | NY | Public | $8,174 | $6,770 | $116,900 |
| 22 | 267 | California State University–Los Angeles | CA | Public | $12,478 | $5,177 | $114,400 |
| 23 | 11 | Vanderbilt University | TN | Private | $52,337 | $8,846 | $151,500 |
| 24 | 57 | Brigham Young University | UT | Private | $7,119 | $8,310 | $131,900 |
| 25 | 8 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | Private | $54,619 | $9,016 | |
METHODOLOGY
Forbes evaluated 500 four-year colleges using 14 outcome-focused metrics drawn from federal databases, PayScale, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, and its own lists of influential alumni. Categories include:
- Alumni Salary (20%) – 6- and 10-year data from PayScale and College Scorecard.
- Debt (15%) – Median federal loan debt and repayment rates.
- Graduation Rate (15%) – Including Pell Grant recipients.
- Forbes American Leaders List (15%) – Alumni achievements in business, science, arts, and government.
- Return on Investment (15%) – Net cost versus post-graduation earnings.
- Retention Rate (10%) – Average three-year retention.
- Academic Success (10%) – Prestigious scholarships and PhD production.
Forbes’ 2025-2026 list is among several major undergraduate college rankings we expect in the next couple of weeks including Wall Street Journal/College Pulse and U.S. News & World Report.
Or, look see our coverage of other recently published undergrad rankings: Princeton Review’s 2026 Best Colleges, Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges For 2025, and Niche’s Best Colleges for Business.
You can also find P&Q’s own proprietary ranking for undergrad business schools – along with loads of free data – here.
NEXT PAGE: Forbes’ 2025–2026 America’s Top Colleges, 1-100