Ranking

Best Public Colleges in the US by ROI 2026

Top public US colleges by value grade — earnings against net price for in-state students.

Schools ranked: 25
Cheapest net price: $32
Top earnings 10y: $75,971
Public / Private: 25 / 0

Canada College

Redwood City, CA · Public

ROI score: 3913.05
Net price: $32
Earnings 10y: $50,087
Acceptance: Open / not reported

College of San Mateo

San Mateo, CA · Public

ROI score: 252.67
Net price: $536
Earnings 10y: $54,172
Acceptance: Open / not reported

North Florida College

Madison, FL · Public

ROI score: 105.50
Net price: $804
Earnings 10y: $33,929
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Fort Peck Community College

Poplar, MT · Public

ROI score: 92.17
Net price: $400
Earnings 10y: $14,747
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Skyline College

San Bruno, CA · Public

ROI score: 80.12
Net price: $1,738
Earnings 10y: $55,702
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Imperial Valley College

Imperial, CA · Public

ROI score: 77.33
Net price: $1,115
Earnings 10y: $34,487
Acceptance: Open / not reported

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX · Public

ROI score: 73.84
Net price: $1,342
Earnings 10y: $39,639
Acceptance: Open / not reported

St Petersburg College

St. Petersburg, FL · Public

ROI score: 72.33
Net price: $1,471
Earnings 10y: $42,557
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC · Public

ROI score: 68.02
Net price: $1,406
Earnings 10y: $38,253
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Macomb Community College

Warren, MI · Public

ROI score: 64.27
Net price: $1,618
Earnings 10y: $41,596
Acceptance: Open / not reported

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

New York, NY · Public

ROI score: 62.62
Net price: $3,033
Earnings 10y: $75,971
Acceptance: 47.5%

West Shore Community College

Scottville, MI · Public

ROI score: 59.13
Net price: $1,527
Earnings 10y: $36,115
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Irvine Valley College

Irvine, CA · Public

ROI score: 58.80
Net price: $2,090
Earnings 10y: $49,156
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de San Juan

San Juan, PR · Public

ROI score: 58.64
Net price: $1,121
Earnings 10y: $26,293
Acceptance: 63.2%

Hartnell College

Salinas, CA · Public

ROI score: 54.34
Net price: $2,039
Earnings 10y: $44,316
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Durham Technical Community College

Durham, NC · Public

ROI score: 54.30
Net price: $1,664
Earnings 10y: $36,142
Acceptance: Open / not reported

CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY · Public

ROI score: 52.92
Net price: $2,984
Earnings 10y: $63,163
Acceptance: 53.8%

Santiago Canyon College

Orange, CA · Public

ROI score: 52.79
Net price: $2,129
Earnings 10y: $44,956
Acceptance: Open / not reported

South Texas College

McAllen, TX · Public

ROI score: 52.52
Net price: $1,751
Earnings 10y: $36,788
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Johnston Community College

Smithfield, NC · Public

ROI score: 52.52
Net price: $1,776
Earnings 10y: $37,310
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Middlesex College

Edison, NJ · Public

ROI score: 51.20
Net price: $2,288
Earnings 10y: $46,861
Acceptance: Open / not reported

CUNY Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY · Public

ROI score: 48.95
Net price: $3,103
Earnings 10y: $60,752
Acceptance: 58.4%

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

Parkersburg, WV · Public

ROI score: 48.66
Net price: $1,807
Earnings 10y: $35,171
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Middlesex Community College

Bedford, MA · Public

ROI score: 48.26
Net price: $2,624
Earnings 10y: $50,651
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Schoolcraft Community College District

Livonia, MI · Public

ROI score: 47.26
Net price: $2,260
Earnings 10y: $42,722
Acceptance: Open / not reported

How we picked this list

This list starts with US colleges, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The set's average EduGradify ROI score is 224.09 (25 public, 0 private).

Every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See our full methodology for the formulas.

Related lists

All EduGradify rankings → Browse all colleges with filters → Highest ROI colleges nationwide → Cheapest US colleges →

FAQ

Who leads this ranking?

Canada College in Redwood City, CA tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.

How does EduGradify pick this list?

We rank this set by roi score 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.