Best-value colleges
Reported five-year earnings for every dollar of annual average net price, with reliability screens for price and institution size.
2,727eligible colleges2026federal release
LOWEREARNINGS PER NET-PRICE DOLLARHIGHER
1College of the MainlandTexas City, TX · Public
44.9×$60,253 / $1,342
2Texas A&M University-Central TexasKilleen, TX · Public
42.9×$55,805 / $1,300
3Chipola CollegeMarianna, FL · Public
39.6×$44,874 / $1,133
4Skyline CollegeSan Bruno, CA · Public
37.0×$64,375 / $1,738
5George C Wallace Community College-DothanDothan, AL · Public
36.6×$42,842 / $1,170
6Imperial Valley CollegeImperial, CA · Public
35.7×$39,823 / $1,115
7St Petersburg CollegeSt. Petersburg, FL · Public
35.5×$52,194 / $1,471
8Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL · Public
32.3×$54,065 / $1,672
9South Georgia Technical CollegeAmericus, GA · Public
32.0×$37,249 / $1,164
10Macomb Community CollegeWarren, MI · Public
30.1×$48,736 / $1,618
11West Shore Community CollegeScottville, MI · Public
30.1×$45,924 / $1,527
12Durham Technical Community CollegeDurham, NC · Public
29.7×$49,499 / $1,664
13Lamar State College-OrangeOrange, TX · Public
28.6×$47,340 / $1,655
14Trident Technical CollegeCharleston, SC · Public
27.9×$39,226 / $1,406
15Santiago Canyon CollegeOrange, CA · Public
27.1×$57,634 / $2,129
16CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · Public
26.8×$81,296 / $3,033
17Shasta CollegeRedding, CA · Public
26.4×$75,940 / $2,878
18Victor Valley CollegeVictorville, CA · Public
24.6×$47,952 / $1,947
19Johnston Community CollegeSmithfield, NC · Public
24.1×$42,753 / $1,776
20West Virginia University at ParkersburgParkersburg, WV · Public
24.0×$43,419 / $1,807
21CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · Public
23.6×$70,493 / $2,984
22Irvine Valley CollegeIrvine, CA · Public
23.5×$49,015 / $2,090
23South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX · Public
22.1×$38,647 / $1,751
24Middlesex CollegeEdison, NJ · Public
21.9×$50,168 / $2,288
25Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle, SD · Public
21.9×$41,534 / $1,895
26Illinois Valley Community CollegeOglesby, IL · Public
21.8×$48,589 / $2,232
27Hartnell CollegeSalinas, CA · Public
21.4×$43,536 / $2,039
28Manatee Technical CollegeBradenton, FL · Public
21.3×$38,490 / $1,808
29CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · Public
20.7×$64,329 / $3,103
30San Joaquin Delta CollegeStockton, CA · Public
20.7×$49,800 / $2,407
31Florence-Darlington Technical CollegeFlorence, SC · Public
20.6×$41,201 / $2,004
32CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · Public
20.3×$63,847 / $3,148
33Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivonia, MI · Public
20.3×$45,811 / $2,260
34Modesto Junior CollegeModesto, CA · Public
19.8×$55,772 / $2,818
35Rockingham Community CollegeWentworth, NC · Public
19.6×$40,462 / $2,060
36Carroll Community CollegeWestminster, MD · Public
19.5×$53,068 / $2,725
37Northwest Shoals Community CollegeMuscle Shoals, AL · Public
19.1×$54,130 / $2,838
38CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, NY · Public
18.9×$60,595 / $3,203
39Middlesex Community CollegeBedford, MA · Public
18.9×$49,641 / $2,624
40Cerritos CollegeNorwalk, CA · Public
18.6×$45,070 / $2,424
41Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private nonprofit
18.5×$113,450 / $6,128
42Victoria CollegeVictoria, TX · Public
18.3×$55,798 / $3,043
43James Sprunt Community CollegeKenansville, NC · Public
18.3×$34,098 / $1,863
44Lake Land CollegeMattoon, IL · Public
18.3×$41,173 / $2,254
45Spartanburg Community CollegeSpartanburg, SC · Public
18.2×$43,828 / $2,405
46Yuba CollegeMarysville, CA · Public
17.9×$46,100 / $2,576
47CUNY City CollegeNew York, NY · Public
17.8×$67,227 / $3,776
48Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboro, NC · Public
17.7×$39,786 / $2,245
49Moraine Valley Community CollegePalos Hills, IL · Public
17.0×$47,991 / $2,829
50West Valley CollegeSaratoga, CA · Public
16.7×$57,150 / $3,423
Only currently operating colleges with at least 500 students are ranked. Records with annual average net price below $1,000 are excluded because near-zero denominators produce misleading ratios. This is an institution-wide screening measure, not a recommendation.