ocity

Best Value Colleges 2026

Universities with the highest return on investment based on salary vs tuition

50 universities ranked • Source: US Dept of Education
#1
University of Florida-Online
Gainesville, FL · Public
B-
#2
California State University Maritime Academy
Vallejo, CA · Public
C
#3
United States University
San Diego, CA · Private
C
#4
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · Private
C
#5
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL · Public
C+
#6
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Rexburg, ID · Private
C
#7
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public
B+
#8
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
B-
#9
Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ · Public
C
#10
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY · Public
A-
#11
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public
C+
#12
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC · Public
C
#13
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA · Public
C+
#14
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA · Public
B-
#15
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA · Public
B
#16
Florida International University
Miami, FL · Public
B-
#17
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public
C+
#18
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL · Public
B-
#19
Colorado State University Global
Denver, CO · Public
C
#20
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL · Public
B-
#21
CUNY City College
New York, NY · Public
B+
#22
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL · Public
C
#23
CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY · Public
B-
#24
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public
B
#25
Utah Valley University
Orem, UT · Public
C
#26
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL · Public
C+
#27
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Public
B-
#28
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA · Public
B+
#29
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
B-
#30
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY · Public
B+
#31
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public
B-
#32
University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online
Manchester, NH · Public
C
#33
Nevada State University
Henderson, NV · Public
C
#34
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public
C
#35
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · Public
C+
#36
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA · Public
B-
#37
California State University-Chico
Chico, CA · Public
C
#38
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Public
C
#39
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
C+
#40
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public
B-
#41
Columbus State University
Columbus, GA · Public
C
#42
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
C+
#43
University of Arkansas Grantham
Little Rock, AR · Public
C
#44
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA · Public
B-
#45
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
C
#46
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Houston, TX · Public
C
#47
Miami University-Hamilton
Hamilton, OH · Public
C
#48
Charter Oak State College
New Britain, CT · Public
C
#49
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY · Public
B
#50
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · Public
C

Methodology: Rankings are generated from verified data provided by the US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. We use real outcome data — not surveys. Each university is scored based on the specific criteria for this ranking category. Last updated: March 2026.

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