The U.S. is one of the top countries for students who are looking to avail of international education from the best universities. But the cost of education can make it difficult to determine if spending that money is worth the salary you’d earn later.
In the U.S., you must have the total funds available for the entire planned period of study before you start school. Scholarships can be a great support in financing your education, and you should explore more about it before planning to study in the U.S.
It’s therefore extremely important to look at your total program costs, including living expenses and your return on investment (ROI) after you successfully complete the program. Your degree matters, but so do your college expenses. Ultimately, you go to college to gain knowledge but also to improve your earning potential, make new connections, and more. That’s why we want to underscore the importance of getting a good education at a reasonable price, based on your intended job after college, so you can maximize the ROI on your education.
Every college and university in the U.S. charge a different amount for tuition, and your individual financial situation may require you to take on student loans or seek financial aid. So it’s not as simple as “you earn more by going to college.” Your financial planning requires you to look at your ROI.
College is an investment of both time and money. In return, that time and money should earn you more and improve your knowledge.
MPOWER Financing provides international students with loans for more than 400 universities in the U.S. and Canada. We analyzed the cost of attendance for our partner universities, while at the same time comparing the salary and employment data of our own borrowers after graduation. The result is an in-depth look at how much it costs to attend these schools, versus how much graduates from them earn – your college ROI.
To determine ROI, we compared the average cost of attendance for undergrad and grad programs which includes the cost of tuition, living expenses, and other costs, with the average salary after graduation for these programs.
Location: UT
No. of International Students: 317
Average Cost of Attendance: $14,130.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $86,000.00
Return on Investment: 509%
Location: IA
No. of International Students: 23
Average Cost of Attendance: $20,033.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $77100.00
Return on Investment: 285%
Location: PA
No. of International Students: 82
Average Cost of Attendance: $20,700.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $64,100.00
Return on Investment: 210%
Location: PA
No. of International Students: 66
Average Cost of Attendance: $20,800.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $71,700.00
Return on Investment: 245%
Location: RI
No. of International Students: 17
Average Cost of Attendance: $22,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $76,700.00
Return on Investment: 241%
Location: NY
No. of International Students: 49
Average Cost of Attendance: $23,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,200.00
Return on Investment: 183%
University of South Dakota
Location: SD
No. of International Students: 121
Average Cost of Attendance: $23,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,600.00
Return on Investment: 179%
Location: MD
No. of International Students: 28
Average Cost of Attendance: $23,700.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $76,600.00
Return on Investment: 223%
Location: TX
No. of International Students: 1584
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $75,200.00
Return on Investment: 213%
Location: ND
No. of International Students: 590
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $68,850.00
Return on Investment: 187%
Location: NC
No. of International Students: 2
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $72,600.00
Return on Investment: 203%
Location: IL
No. of International Students: 265
Average Cost of Attendance: $24,600.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $72,650.00
Return on Investment: 195%
Location: DC
No. of International Students: 0
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $72,450.00
Return on Investment: 190%
Location: OR
No. of International Students: 65
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,000.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $73,000.00
Return on Investment: 192%
Location: IN
No. of International Students: 10
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,400.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $80,900.00
Return on Investment: 219%
Location: MI
No. of International Students: 689
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,200.00
Return on Investment: 156%
Location: IL
No. of International Students: 379
Average Cost of Attendance: $25,600.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $71,800.00
Return on Investment: 180%
Location: MI
No. of International Students: 875
Average Cost of Attendance: $27,700.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $83,800.00
Return on Investment: 203%
Location: SC
No. of International Students: 1374
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,500.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $70,500.00
Return on Investment: 147%
Location: MO
No. of International Students: 844
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,600.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $87,350.00
Return on Investment: 205%
Location: OH
No. of International Students: 588
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,800.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $76,109.41
Return on Investment: 164%
Location: IA
No. of International Students: 144
Average Cost of Attendance: $28,900.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $70,300.00
Return on Investment: 143%
Location: NC
No. of International Students: 24
Average Cost of Attendance: $29,300.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $65,000.00
Return on Investment: 122%
Location: CA
No. of International Students: 775
Average Cost of Attendance: $29,400.00
Average Salary After Graduation: $82,500.00
Return on Investment: 181%
According to a report from PayScale, Engineering and Computer Science graduates see the biggest return on investment.
College ROI is calculated as an individual’s earning over a period of 30 years minus the total spend on education. ROI stands for Return on Investment.
DISCLAIMER – Subject to credit approval, loans are made by Bank of Lake Mills or MPOWER Financing, PBC. Bank of Lake Mills does not have an ownership interest in MPOWER Financing. Neither MPOWER Financing nor Bank of Lake Mills is affiliated with the school you attended or are attending. Bank of Lake Mills is Member FDIC. None of the information contained in this website constitutes a recommendation, solicitation or offer by MPOWER Financing or its affiliates to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments or other assets or provide any investment advice or service.
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