Benjamin Franklin once said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest," though most Americans would now disagree when it comes to higher education. Fewer than 1 in 4 (22%) of adults in the United States think college is worth its price, even if the person has to take out loans, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey. About 43 million Americans—roughly 12% of the population—still carry federal student loan debt.

Calculating the return on investment for higher education is more crucial than it was before the 2008 recession. An Education Data Initiative analysis shows that the cost of tuition has increased by more than a third between 2010 and 2023, when the typical investment for a bachelor's degree, including tuition, room and board, and student loan interest, was $255,217. On average, it takes 11 years on the job to make up for the cost of a bachelor's degree.

At a time when some companies no longer require bachelor's degrees as a job requirement, and young men are increasingly opting out of higher ed, for those who do want to go down the conventional route, ROI calculations can differ greatly. Stacker analyzed Department of Education data for cost-conscious college hopefuls to identify public and private nonprofit four-year colleges that produced the highest-earning graduates for the 25 most popular undergraduate majors in the U.S.

The analysis shows that the choice of major is one of the biggest variables in calculating ROI, ranging from $54,263 in earnings five years after graduation for social work to $298,018 for computer and information sciences, despite newer struggles to find work during the AI boom.

Another variable is the kind of degree. The smallest jump in ROI between degree levels is a 16% jump from bachelor's to master's, whereas there is a 41% gain in weekly earnings between an associate's and a bachelor's degree.

Debt burden also varies significantly between schools: First-year earnings can vary by $80,000 for graduates of the same degree and major who went to different schools, according to a Georgetown University report.

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#25. Social work: University of North Dakota

-- Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $49,695 (35% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $54,263 (10% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $26,000

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#24. Business/commerce: The University of Texas at Austin

-- Location: Austin, Texas
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $94,041 (76% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: Not available
-- Median student debt at college: Not available

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#23. Mathematics: Duke University

-- Location: Durham, North Carolina
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $121,088 (130% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $131,658 (80% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $13,000

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#22. Fine and studio arts: Columbia University in the City of New York

-- Location: New York
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $51,435 (104% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $55,731 (33% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $26,853

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#21. Multi/interdisciplinary studies: University of the Pacific

-- Location: Stockton, California
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $104,803 (134% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $182,091 (217% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $15,500

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#20. History: Dartmouth College

-- Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $61,127 (85% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $95,866 (77% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $19,000

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#19. Sociology: Dartmouth College

-- Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $64,377 (86% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $74,367 (37% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $19,250

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#18. English language and literature: Georgetown University

-- Location: Washington D.C.
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $52,122 (71% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $78,299 (57% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $16,500

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#17. Computer science: California Institute of Technology

-- Location: Pasadena, California
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $173,344 (99% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: Not available
-- Median student debt at college: Not available

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#16. Computer and information sciences: University of Pennsylvania

-- Location: Philadelphia
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $146,204 (104% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $298,016 (219% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $15,000

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#15. Mechanical engineering: California State University Maritime Academy

-- Location: Vallejo, California
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $92,315 (31% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $114,735 (11% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $19,690

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#14. Economics: Harvard University

-- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $103,993 (77% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $161,251 (74% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $6,617

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#13. Political science and government: Dartmouth College

-- Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $72,618 (88% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $101,103 (50% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $17,500

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#12. Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

-- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $103,135 (173% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: Not available
-- Median student debt at college: $11,935

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#11. Marketing: University of Pennsylvania

-- Location: Philadelphia
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $82,553 (73% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $124,208 (75% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $17,412

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#10. Criminal justice and corrections: Charter Oak State College

-- Location: New Britain, Connecticut
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $68,956 (15% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: Not available
-- Median student debt at college: $23,000

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#9. Finance and financial management services: University of Pennsylvania

-- Location: Philadelphia
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $122,698 (292% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $242,357 (330% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $12,865

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#8. Health and physical education/fitness: Rice University

-- Location: Houston
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $51,110 (24% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $71,586 (52% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $10,000

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#7. Teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods: University of Illinois Chicago

-- Location: Chicago
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $60,917 (56% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $58,580 (7% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $16,750

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#6. Accounting and related services: Georgetown University

-- Location: Washington D.C.
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $89,564 (59% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $165,279 (115% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $17,500

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#5. Communication and media studies: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

-- Location: San Luis Obispo, California
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $62,183 (67% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $67,009 (15% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $14,928

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#4. Biology: University of San Diego

-- Location: San Diego
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $54,223 (73% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $68,950 (11% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $25,000

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#3. Psychology: Bentley University

-- Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $62,218 (95% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: Not available
-- Median student debt at college: $25,494

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#2. Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing: Sonoma State University

-- Location: Rohnert Park, California
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $125,646 (60% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $131,431 (50% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $19,750

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#1. Business administration, management and operations: Manhattan College

-- Location: Riverdale, New York
-- Typical earnings one year after graduation: $113,777 (123% higher than average)
-- Typical earnings five years after graduation: $111,699 (61% higher than average)
-- Median student debt at college: $25,328

Data reporting by Wade Zhou.