Economics

College's Holy Grail: Low Cost, High Returns

They're few and far between, but some schools deliver top-notch returns without breaking the bank. The reason: generous financial aid

The California Institute of Technology, an elite private engineering school, has the highest 30-year return on investment in the ranking and, for financial aid recipients, fairly modest costs California Institute of Technology

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By Alison Damast

April 7, 2011 at 8:12 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

(Corrects number of UC San Diego students receiving Pell Grants and clarifies that California's Blue and Gold Program is for UC students only.)

When Lauren Laurer graduates from Clarkson University this spring, she'll be able to count herself among the lucky few to graduate from college without any debt. Laurer, an aeronautical and mechanical engineering major from Rochester, N.Y., has paid only about $20,000 for an education worth almost $200,000, a feat achieved through a combination of tuition discounts, merit-based awards, and private scholarships awarded to her by Clarkson, a private school in Potsdam, N.Y. With no loan payments to worry about, Laurer is confident she'll be able to quickly recoup her $20,000 investment when she starts working in the engineering development program at GE Energy this July.