Princeton University has topped Forbes’ 2027 list of 25 US colleges offering the strongest return on investment, based on graduate earnings, education costs, student debt and financial aid. Seven colleges from the City University of New York (CUNY) system also feature among the top 10.
The ranking assesses how quickly students can recover the net cost of their degree through post-graduation earnings. Forbes used the price-to-earnings premium developed by think tank Third Way, which accounts for the cost of a degree after grants and scholarships.