Florida A&M University has been ranked as the top public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) for the fifth consecutive year. It has also improved its position by 13 spots to tie at No. 91 in the list of best national public universities.

Howard University secures second place, while Tuskegee ranks fourth among all HBCUs and tops the Top Performers on Social Mobility in the South category.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has significantly improved its position to No. 14 among HBCUs, which is its highest rank since the HBCU category was introduced by U.S. News.

Other ABET-accredited HBCUs that made the HBCU 2024 list include Jackson State University, the University of the District of Columbia, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Hampton University.

In a recent study, CUNY City College has been ranked as the top national university and college in terms of relative value for money.

According to the survey by Degreechoices, experts in College ROI, data from over 400 national universities and colleges were analyzed to determine the top 25 schools based on the typical cost of a degree relative to eventual graduate earnings.

The analysis used a benchmark of all students at each university or college from two different enrollment years and a measure of their earnings ten years later.

Using data for undergraduate payback and debt-to-earnings for graduates to determine a cost-to-earning metric, these results were adjusted by each school’s earning performance.

An ‘Economic score’ was produced for each institution, with lower scores indicating a smaller payback and lower debt-to-earnings for attending students.

CUNY City College was found to be the best college for return on investment in 2023, with an Economic score of 0.44. The sticker price for an in-state student at CUNY City College was $30,721.

However, among students who qualify for federal aid, the average net cost per student each year was only $2,805. Considering the average salary of a CUNY City College graduate is $55,741 ten years after enrollment, and students take five years to graduate on average, a degree from the university takes under six months to pay back.

CUNY City College has a modest 64% admission rate; however, its graduation rates fall below the New York state national average, at just 59%.

In second place was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with an Economic score of 0.46.

The cost to educate a single student who qualifies for federal aid is $16,407 per year on average. Graduates from MIT earn an average salary of $111,222 ten years after enrollment, which means they can repay their degree costs in under a year.

With a 4% admission rate, MIT is highly selective and its annual sticker price is advertised as $72,462. The University of Florida is ranked third for return on investment, with an Economic score of 0.49. It has a 30% admission rate and costs an average of $5,135 per year for in-state students, accounting for institutional and government grants.

The University of Florida has a graduation rate 21% higher than the national average, with 88% of all students graduating within eight years. Graduates from the University of Florida earn an average salary of $95,689 ten years after enrollment.

Princeton University is ranked fourth for return on investment, with an Economic score of 0.51. Princeton’s return on educational investment is in the top 5% of all ranked schools, with 98% of all students graduating within eight years.

The average salary of a Princeton graduate ten years after enrollment is $95,689, and students can expect to pay back their degree costs within a year of graduating.

With a 4% admission rate, Princeton is also highly selective. Stanford University is ranked fifth, with an Economic score of 0.57. Stanford has a 4% admission rate and an average in-state cost of $12,894 per year. Graduates from Stanford earn an average salary of around $97,798 ten years after enrollment, and bachelor students make 40% more than the national average when adjusted for earning differences.

Harvard University is ranked sixth, with an Economic score of 0.63. After financial aid, Harvard graduates expect to pay $13,872 per year of study, with annual earnings of $84,918 ten years after enrollment, meaning they can pay back their educational investment in less than a year. Harvard has a 4% acceptance rate, but 98% of all students graduate within eight years.

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is ranked seventh, with an Economic score of 0.73. After 10 years of enrollment, Caltech graduates earn an average salary of $112,166, and when adjusted for earning differences, bachelor students achieve 77% more than the national average.

Florida International University (FIU) is ranked eighth, with an Economic score of 0.75. FIU students earn, on average, $54,501 ten years after enrolling and can expect to pay $5,298 per year after financial aid. At FIU, 94% of students receive some grant or scholarship, compared to the national average of 87% for all colleges and universities.

The University of Pennsylvania is ranked ninth, with an Economic score of 0.79. The average salary of graduates ten years after finishing their program at the University of Pennsylvania is $103,246, and the average cost per year of study is $25,046 after financial aid.

Yale University is ranked tenth, with an Economic score of 0.85. Students typically graduate after 4.2 years of research and pay an average of $15,296 per year. With Yale alumni earning an average of $88,655 ten years after enrolling, they can expect to take a year to pay off the cost of their degree.