Ranking
Best Private (Non-Profit) Colleges in the US by ROI 2026
Princeton University leads this ROI ranking with an A+ value grade and a 44.90 school-wide ROI proxy. EduGradify ranks 25 eligible colleges here by earnings against net price.
Top eligible private non-profit colleges by school-wide earnings against average net price, with low-denominator and incomplete records excluded.
- Schools ranked
- 25
- Cheapest net price
- $4,827
- Top earnings 10y
- $143,372
- Public / Private
- 0 / 25
Princeton University
A+- ROI proxy
- 44.90
- Net price
- $6,128
- Earnings 10y
- $110,066
- Acceptance
- 4.6%
Stanford University
A+- ROI proxy
- 22.47
- Net price
- $13,807
- Earnings 10y
- $124,080
- Acceptance
- 3.6%
California Institute of Technology
A+- ROI proxy
- 19.99
- Net price
- $16,075
- Earnings 10y
- $128,566
- Acceptance
- 2.6%
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
A+- ROI proxy
- 18.02
- Net price
- $10,420
- Earnings 10y
- $75,103
- Acceptance
- 84.3%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A+- ROI proxy
- 17.82
- Net price
- $20,111
- Earnings 10y
- $143,372
- Acceptance
- 4.6%
Berea College
A+- ROI proxy
- 17.67
- Net price
- $6,106
- Earnings 10y
- $43,150
- Acceptance
- 19.3%
Wilberforce University
A+- ROI proxy
- 17.20
- Net price
- $5,567
- Earnings 10y
- $38,298
- Acceptance
- 40.5%
College of the Ozarks
A+- ROI proxy
- 17.05
- Net price
- $6,100
- Earnings 10y
- $41,592
- Acceptance
- 12%
Rice University
A+- ROI proxy
- 16.78
- Net price
- $13,370
- Earnings 10y
- $89,718
- Acceptance
- 8%
Baptist Health Sciences University
A- ROI proxy
- 16.17
- Net price
- $11,212
- Earnings 10y
- $72,529
- Acceptance
- 82%
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
A- ROI proxy
- 15.80
- Net price
- $13,269
- Earnings 10y
- $83,847
- Acceptance
- 20.7%
University of Chicago
A- ROI proxy
- 15.46
- Net price
- $14,860
- Earnings 10y
- $91,885
- Acceptance
- 4.5%
Christian Brothers University
A- ROI proxy
- 14.58
- Net price
- $9,854
- Earnings 10y
- $57,478
- Acceptance
- 86.7%
Trinity Washington University
A- ROI proxy
- 14.46
- Net price
- $9,302
- Earnings 10y
- $53,804
- Acceptance
- 99.5%
Vanderbilt University
A- ROI proxy
- 14.45
- Net price
- $15,846
- Earnings 10y
- $91,565
- Acceptance
- 5.9%
Bowdoin College
A- ROI proxy
- 14.37
- Net price
- $14,398
- Earnings 10y
- $82,735
- Acceptance
- 7.1%
Saint Xavier University
A- ROI proxy
- 13.37
- Net price
- $10,970
- Earnings 10y
- $58,656
- Acceptance
- 84.3%
Harvard University
A- ROI proxy
- 13.35
- Net price
- $19,066
- Earnings 10y
- $101,817
- Acceptance
- 3.7%
Brescia University
A- ROI proxy
- 13.06
- Net price
- $8,709
- Earnings 10y
- $45,500
- Acceptance
- 35.2%
Universidad Central de Bayamon
A- ROI proxy
- 12.96
- Net price
- $4,827
- Earnings 10y
- $25,021
- Acceptance
- 65.9%
Dominican University
A- ROI proxy
- 12.84
- Net price
- $11,745
- Earnings 10y
- $60,327
- Acceptance
- 90.3%
Le Moyne-Owen College
A- ROI proxy
- 12.53
- Net price
- $7,099
- Earnings 10y
- $35,594
- Acceptance
- 99.2%
Williams College
A- ROI proxy
- 12.51
- Net price
- $17,716
- Earnings 10y
- $88,665
- Acceptance
- 8.3%
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
A- ROI proxy
- 12.43
- Net price
- $11,704
- Earnings 10y
- $58,170
- Acceptance
- 92.8%
University of St Francis
A- ROI proxy
- 12.29
- Net price
- $13,006
- Earnings 10y
- $63,926
- Acceptance
- 65.3%
How we picked this list
This list starts with US colleges, excludes low-denominator, very small and incomplete records, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The eligible set's average EduGradify ROI proxy is 16.50 (0 public, 25 private).
ROI lists require average net price of at least $4,600, enrollment of at least 500 and a reported graduation rate so unusually small denominators or incomplete records cannot dominate the public leaderboard.
Source transparency: every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard public data set. See our full methodology for the ROI formula, value grade rules and missing-data handling.
FAQ
Who leads this ranking?
Princeton University in Princeton, NJ tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.
How does EduGradify pick this list?
We rank this set by roi proxy using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.
What does net price mean here?
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.
Can I use this ranking as a final college decision?
Use it as a shortlist, not a final decision. The ranking compares school-wide federal data; you should still confirm program fit, aid letters, graduation path, transfer policies and current costs with each college.