Best colleges for the price
As we start wrapping up the current school year, rising seniors will look forward to (or put off) filling out college applications this fall. And while choosing the right education has layers and layers of variables, Bloomberg’s Best Colleges for Return on Investment is, at the very least, thought-provoking.
The best return on investment for Georgia? Georgia Tech, at $79,140 total cost for in-state education and $157,600 out-of-state.
Bear in mind that this article focuses on how much money a graduate will make for the amount spent. It doesn’t take into account where family allegiances lie, what your family can actually afford or which colleges are geographically desirable for your student.
It also means you might not see colleges mentioned with excellent degrees in traditionally lower-paying professions. If you’re a follow-your-passion kind of person, the (financial) return on investment won’t mean much to you.
Which schools do you think have the best ROI? What are the important factors in your student’s college decision?
– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter
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172 comments Add your comment
Jessica C.
April 13th, 2011
1:16 pm
“Kennesaw is am excellent school. The students there actually want an education.”
- am excellent school for illegal aliens!
Floyd Harris
April 13th, 2011
1:16 pm
We are talking about a college education here, so UGA has to be eliminated from the list.
OJ Simpson
April 13th, 2011
1:16 pm
The UGA grads always bring up sports, as somehow that makes the school better. I guess they need a reason.
FAN
April 13th, 2011
1:18 pm
No the argument is getting old. Tech can’t beat UGA in sports so their only come back is “well we have the better school.” UGA isn’t exactly easy to get into, so the whole redneck thing is pretty stupid. People from the state of GA that didn’t go to either schools, pick UGA because UGA dominates Tech in football. Why cheer for tech when they usually lose.
BTW Jeff Foxworthy, the king of all rednecks, WENT TO GEORGIA TECH!!
KSU Grad
April 13th, 2011
1:20 pm
My daughter graduated from Kennesaw and was accepted at UGA School of Pharmacy. So that’s not necessarily true.
yeah
April 13th, 2011
1:23 pm
Hey Hornet, how many architecture grads are being hired right out the gates in this kind of economy? Ive had some friends who graduated with Architecture degrees and they say the degree is more useless than a general studies degree in this kind of economy. SPSU has some bright kids, but ive seen many times where they lose head to head job opportunities to GT grads. If two prospective employees have the same resume, except one went to SPSU and the other GT, the GT grad will always get hired first pretty much every time. SPSU seemed like such a depressing place when I visited….and many of my friends who went there ended up dropping out or transferring. With that said, a smart person can do well there. But why put your self at a competitive disadvantage when you were smart enough for Tech to begin with.
Bird Watcher
April 13th, 2011
1:26 pm
@ Bored of Regents
You should be aware that this a program that is between Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech called GTREP. This allows young people to stay local in south Georgia, and receive a low cost high quality of education of Georgia Southern and also allows them to stay in the engineering discipline and transition into the higher level Engineering classes at Tech. So wake up.
yeah
April 13th, 2011
1:29 pm
Fan, Jeff Foxworthy is actually a pretty smart guy. He made millions by telling UGA fans jokes about themselves! Trust me he was laughing all the way to the bank.
42-34 Dawgs STILL Run This State
April 13th, 2011
1:32 pm
I get paid more than my tech co-workers.
Poleesemenses
April 13th, 2011
1:33 pm
Mercer baby, all the way! No other public or private school with the same amount of students (about 8,000) in the entire U.S. matriculates lawyers, doctors, engineers, theologians, economists, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals including a Division 1 athletic program that provides pro ballplayers and for only about $40k and change per year! Bring it!
MDB
April 13th, 2011
1:35 pm
Wouldn’t it be kind of embarrassing if an engineering school WASN’T ranked higher than a liberal arts schools for “30 year return on investment” which basically is future salary/tuition costs? That is why most of the schools on the list for all states have an engineering program. I always find it funny how the Tech folks come out of the woodwork to brag on any ranking that shows them as better than UGA when it’s an apples to oranges comparison. For some reason people who go there seem to think everyone is dying to be an engineer and/or take tons of superfluous math classes and live in mid-town Atlanta, but simply can’t get in.
brad
April 13th, 2011
1:36 pm
Jessica …you really want to compair the number of “alien” students at KSU and GT?? really??
Jacketbacker
April 13th, 2011
1:37 pm
This was a no brainer. Hands down the best school for the value. That’s why our children go there!
Go Jackets!
brad
April 13th, 2011
1:38 pm
Jimmy Carter went to Georgia Tech…end of argument
wee ruin this stait
April 13th, 2011
1:40 pm
hooda thunk. weer nashunal champs. lusers GO DAWGS!!!
F-Tech
April 13th, 2011
1:40 pm
Techies can brag all they want about their engineering skills…….
Doesn’t erase the fact that a Georgia Tech Engineer designed this…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw
Techies are the most pathetic, pompous group of individuals this world has ever seen. Yet they wonder why nobody outside of their small, nerdy little circle likes them, though they take a world of pride in disrespecting anybody and everybody who isn’t them.
TO HELL WITH GEORGIA TECH!!!!
David A. Staples
April 13th, 2011
1:40 pm
@FAN – at the end of the day, what do you think matters more… how much you bring home in your paycheck or that the college you went to can beat another college on the field? Personally, my income affects me much more than the sports program at any college.
evansdawg
April 13th, 2011
1:41 pm
I love all the female tech fan comments. You can pretty much rest assured they are much better off behind a computer screen than out in public showing their faces and disturbing the peace.
I'm just saying
April 13th, 2011
1:42 pm
Redneck School…you blithernig idiot…there would be no Green Jacket, there would be no Augusta National, there would be no Masters Championship if it were not for one man….a GT grad. Bobby Jones…and Billy Payne knows it…and now you do….so go back to flipping burgers you dolt.
2004 Yellow Jacket
April 13th, 2011
1:42 pm
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with going into pizza delivery after graduating with the masses from UGA, living in a trailer, and spending every dollar you make supporting your school’s efforts at a game. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to college for that?
There’s just not enough room for everyone at smaller, elite, world-class institutions like Georgia Tech.
KP
April 13th, 2011
1:42 pm
Emory is better than Tech by every objective metric: SAT scores, GPA, acceptance rate, class size, endowment, spending per student, diversity, grad school placement, etc.
Mishap
April 13th, 2011
1:43 pm
Really…sports? How does having a good football team translate into your ability move out of your parents’ basement after graduation? GT shows an 80% student loan repayment rate (UGA shows 66%/Harvard 84%/Emory 66%) which suggests people are actually able to repay their debts following their degree. The point of college is that it is supposed to impart skills/knowledge to function in society long after you destroyed the campus during a NC run.
A decent JV HS team could probably beat Harvard in a scrimmage but I somehow don’t think that’s the draw of the school that results in a single digit acceptance rate. The only people benefiting from an undefeated team are the coaches and athletic directors that get paid 7 figures riding the recruiting of the previous coach. My parents still have Herschel’s autograph but I’m guessing few of his teammates enjoyed anywhere near the success he had. Given that nice remedial class scandal that followed soon after, I’d venture a solid # of UGA players probably left w/o the ability to even read.
UGA has come a long way in terms of academics and some of its grad programs but having grown up in Athens (both my parents have UGA grad degrees), it’ll never leave its party/football school roots. Sure they may beat up on Tech but what’s their biggest claim to fame since that football/academics scandal when fans sent death threats to the whistleblowing professor in the ’80’s? My 7th grade SAT was solidly higher than the avg UGA freshman in ‘94. They’ve improved since but it’s still a long way from even beating Florida in actual educational value.
dre
April 13th, 2011
1:43 pm
Bobcat Grad – what are they putting in the water there in Milledgeville? Word from my hiring colleague is that the top 3 of 10 candidates she just interviewed were from GCSU. She said they were well prepared, sharp, eager and had all done internships, one overseas. So good for them!
I'm just saying
April 13th, 2011
1:44 pm
Hey Fan….five in a row as of last night…you were saying.
archi
April 13th, 2011
1:46 pm
@Hornet, a five-year bachelor’s in architecture isn’t looked upon very highly in the field. Most everyone I know prefers to hire those with master’s degrees in architecture, no matter whether you have a four-year or five-year bachelor’s degree (in anything). I didn’t attend either school, and UT makes the same argument about their five-year degree, but there’s a reason that the five-year professional bachelor’s degree has been phased out at most architecture schools across the country.
KSU Grad
April 13th, 2011
1:47 pm
It doesn’t matter what school you went to if you are rude and obnoxious like a lot of the people on this blog.
UGA_2001
April 13th, 2011
1:48 pm
Yeah, but we got laid.
archi
April 13th, 2011
1:50 pm
oh, and then there’s the fact that the majority of those working in the architecture field never get a license anyway because they don’t make it through the exams. And this includes those from BOTH schools.
yeah
April 13th, 2011
1:51 pm
KP but you must have rich parents who pay your way to attend that school. Im sorry but I was born with out rich parents, and GT is ranked right behind Emory academically so the choice was easy. All my friends who graduated from Emory with massive amounts of student debt, one had 200,000 for an undergrad degree!, would gladly trade places with me. Tell me how it makes sense to spend 200,000 on a degree that earns you less than one that is free, due to the hope, that earns you more. Is that what they teach at Emory?
rexdogma
April 13th, 2011
1:51 pm
The schools in GA are a joke. Nothing but glorified high schools. The only public college worth going to is GA Tech. I did not go there but it is good. Some of the private colleges are good also.
truth
April 13th, 2011
1:52 pm
The problem is with some people on here is that they don’t realize that a lot of people (aka most in he state of Georgia) cannot afford to go to Georgia Tech or UGA. All they want to do is bash the other institutions in the state when there are hard working people in the state who didnt have the financial means to go to one of the “better” institutions in the state. I personally was accepted to multiple institutions, but was forced to make a decision that would allow my family to continue to eat regular meals and send my other siblings to school. I feel that I received a good education and being a recent grad I have also received a job unlike many I know from “better” institutions. I know my perception will be seen as that of an “uneducated second class citizen” since I didnt attend Tech or UGA,.
F-Tech
April 13th, 2011
1:55 pm
See, the pompous Techie attitude where they declare UGA grads to be unsuccessful has brain washed them into believing it’s reality.
I would really like to do some psychological studies on these nerds, and figure out just how strange they are. I assure you, when you put them in an empty room and show them a picture of their GT logo, then show them a picture of the UGA logo, their brain and endorphins will show MUCH more activity when viewing the UGA logo, based predominately on hate.
It truly would be a sad, sad case study.
The “T” in Tech stands for POMPOUS <—— UGA spelling, right?
juvenal
April 13th, 2011
1:57 pm
only uga grads i see making money are lawyers….
Yeah, right
April 13th, 2011
1:58 pm
brad
April 13th, 2011
1:38 pm
Jimmy Carter? Seriously? That’s your trump card? LOL!!!
Yes, Jimmy Carter “went to Georgia Tech”. He took “additional mathematics courses at Georgia Tech”.
Additional mathematics courses? LOL!!!
is30303
April 13th, 2011
2:03 pm
This article is common sense – Tech is one of the top engineering schools in the country – of course ROI is going to be better. But here is my grip to you commentators:
I understand if you want to save money and decide to go to UGA or GSU but don’t say its among the best in the country. That makes you sound dumb.
If you could get into and pay tuition at the top schools in the country (not just Harvard or Yale but schools like Rice, Georgetown, UPenn, U of Chicago, WU at St Louis) but you pick UGA . . . Go Dawgs. . . I guess.
Likewise,does anyone really believe GSU’s business school is recognized among the top twenty business schools in the country? Damn at the least the Emory kids are smart enough to not say anything.
Outside of this state, nobody has heard of the other school everyone is mentioning – don’t flatter yourselves. I am sure these are fine academic institutions but don’t bother saying its nationally recognized because . . . it isn’t. Go to any part of this country and say you are a graduate of Mercer, WGC, KSU, S. Poly, or Valdosta State it means nothing. If that offends you, then you need to get out more.
Good data, Faulty conclusions
April 13th, 2011
2:03 pm
This is a great article for those who don’t understand statistics. I’m sure this report gives technical school grads the “warm and fuzzies,” (ironically, much like the promise of forty virgins in the afterlife for radical Islamic suicide bombers.) But, the conclusions are flawed. Comparing the averages of reported incomes of graduates from a much smaller engineering school with a relatively few, more homgeneous degree fields with the average from a large university with a broad spectrum of degree fields (including a significant number of essential, but traditionally lower paying careers like teaching, social work, and the arts) is misleading and statistically insignificant. You would think those who pride themselves on being good at math would know this.
real GSU grad
April 13th, 2011
2:04 pm
“Georgia State University” is the BEST for the BUCK$. GSU CIS is one of 10TH BEST CIS schools in the country. I am proud to be part of the CIS progam and GSU. Quality Education at an affordable tuition. Don’t ignore unpaid intern!!! Unpaid intern makes a different on your resume and in your career. Get active and be patient with your college career center. Thanks to GSU Career/RCC center, I got a great job. I can’t complain. It’s not the SCHOOL itself, but it’s YOU who make it happen. Go Panthers!
Budd
April 13th, 2011
2:07 pm
This takes the prize as the most bogus of college surveys. Who makes more is dependent on a lot of variables. Most companies base salaries on a cost of living factor as well as salaries for the local geographic area. In other words , what does it cost to hire an engineer in ATL. It will not be the same as California or Wisconsin. It also will cost more or less depending upon locale. Garbage men in NY make 100K. Does that mean garbage school in NY is a better value than an education degree from Auburn? This is sooo much a waste of space. If you pick your school by this list you deserve what you get.
NGCSU
April 13th, 2011
2:09 pm
North Georgia College and State University offers tremendous bang for the buck! It offers a beautiful and one of the safest college campuses in the United States, an excellent faculty, and state of the art facilities. (And according to my daughter, all the good looking soldiers in attendance doesn’t hurt either.)
woodrow
April 13th, 2011
2:09 pm
I would think the best return on investment is the kids that get scholarships and pay nothing.
Brian
April 13th, 2011
2:11 pm
As someone who has graduated from Tech and from Kennesaw State, I can honestly say that Kennesaw State does not even belong in the conversation with Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is by far the better school and offers a much better ROI. Kennesaw State is like a disco with books.
happy with mine
April 13th, 2011
2:19 pm
The return on investment for my BBA (Management Information Systems) from UGA has been great.
And that’s not even factoring in that I never paid tuition b/c of the HOPE scholarship.
The market doesn't lie...
April 13th, 2011
2:20 pm
No doubt technical jobs *on average* have higher starting salaries for recent grads. What is not in the engineering school recruitment brochure is the underlying reason for that. Those positions don’t pay more because they are more valuable; they pay more because working in most engineering fields is a horrible experience. Hence the large number of foriegn students at technical schools. Many come from places where they have much fewer options. They are willing to work in conditions that most Americans eschew in favor of careers with better life styles and more fullfilling work. Of the GT grads I know, only one still works in engineering, and he wears his name on his shirt at a Ga Power plant in middle Georgia. If engineering positions were desirable, the market would price them lower. Goodness knows there are enough people with degrees who are out of work.
George P. Burdell
April 13th, 2011
2:20 pm
You all will work for me. Some day.
brad
April 13th, 2011
2:23 pm
yeah right…you took the time to google Carter’s bio…LOL
my son has 6 teachers…3 of which are TECH grades who couldn’t find work in their fields and had to enter the TAPP fast track teacher program to find a job.
Rafe Hollister
April 13th, 2011
2:23 pm
If you can’t get in UGA or Tech, Auburns waiting. Just check “out of state fee” and you’re in. All applications accepted.
reality check
April 13th, 2011
2:25 pm
I think there ought to be a portion of this survey about “most bang for your buck” that takes into account how much time you have to spend responding on blogs about who gets the “most bang for your buck”
Scooter Pickle
April 13th, 2011
2:25 pm
Red Panties!
Chris
April 13th, 2011
2:27 pm
ALL colleges and universities are overpriced now. Also overrated. Tech is great if you want to spend 4 years in your room.
you decide
April 13th, 2011
2:28 pm
All schools have graduates who are struggling to find work. One school has won 10 of the last 11 football games between Tech and UGA.