Rose-Hulman Ranks in Top 1% Nationally for Best Return on Investment
A recent national study of career earnings, net price value, and placement rates estimates Rose-Hulman has a $3.3 million return on investment, ranking 40th among nearly 4,600 institutions – affirming the college’s strong ROI.
Rose-Hulman ranks among the top 1% of colleges nationally for return on investment, based on its high career earnings, net price value, and high placement rates, according to research by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
The 2025 study, released in February, analyzed nearly 4,600 higher education institutions using new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. It places Rose-Hulman in the top 50 colleges nationwide after examining alumni statistics at 40-, 30-, and 20-year intervals in their professional career.
Specifically, the study estimates the following lifetime ROI for students entering Rose-Hulman based on the 2021-22 academic year as the most recent data:
- 40-Year ROI: $3,347,000 (rank 40th nationally, 1st in Indiana)
- 30-Year ROI: $2,324,000 (rank 41st nationally, 1st in Indiana)
- 20-Year ROI: $1,300,000 (rank 47th nationally, 1st in Indiana)
In these cases, Rose-Hulman’s ROI ranks alongside or above a list of U.S. colleges and universities that includes Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Notre Dame, Washington University (St. Louis), Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt.
Rose-Hulman has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Top 100 Best Colleges in America and in The Princeton Review’s Best 390 Colleges for 2025, along with being named the No. 1 ranked undergraduate science, engineering, and mathematics college in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Guide. The Wall Street Journal also recognized Rose-Hulman in the top 10 nationally for career preparation and as a recommended college by current students and recent alumni.
“These latest national rankings reaffirm Rose-Hulman’s strong return on investment and underscore the many factors that make our institution a top choice for STEM students worldwide,” said Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons. “Our outstanding academic programs, excellent faculty and staff, state-of-the-art facilities and robust internship and co-op opportunities provide students with the foundation for long-term success. These rankings also offer prospective students and their families valuable insights into the financial and professional benefits of a Rose-Hulman degree.”
Find out more about Rose-Hulman’s rankings and distinctions.