A study by Degreechoices revealed the University of Florida as the third-best school based on value for money.
UF was one of more than 400 national universities and colleges analyzed by college return of investment (ROI) staff at Degreechoices who determined the top 25 schools based on the cost of a degree relative to the eventual graduate earnings.
CUNY City College ranked No. 1 followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
According to the Degreechoices press release, “The analysis used a benchmark of all students at each university or college from two different enrollment years and a measure of their earnings 10 years later. Using data for undergraduate payback and debt-to-earnings for graduates to determine a cost-to-earning metric, these results were adjusted by each school’s earning performance.”
UF came in third with an economic score of 0.49. The university has a 30% admission rate and its in-state fees average $5,135 per year when accounting for institutional and government grants, according to the release.
The graduation rate at UF is 21% above the average with 88% of students graduating within eight years. for all national universities in the country. After 10 years of enrolling at UF, the study reported the average salary of graduates is $95,689.
“It is understandable that students are carefully considering how valuable a university degree currently is, given the substantial financial investment and uncertainty around its positive impact on their future earnings,” said Degreechoices author David Levy in the press release. “As higher education institutes adjust their tuition fees with each passing year, it will be interesting to see whether they can continue to justify these higher prices by guaranteeing a return on investment for their students over the course of their careers.”
Rounding out the top 10 on the list were Princeton, Standford, Harvard, California Institute of Technology, Florida International, Pennsylvania and Yale.
Florida schools in the Southern region included:
- Florida State at No. 12
- University of South Florida at No. 13
- University of Central Florida at No. 15
- University of North Florida at No. 17
- South Florida State College at No. 18