College rankings

    Best colleges by major, ranked by value

    For each major, bachelor's programs are ranked on what graduates earn, what they borrow, what a year costs after grants and how many students finish. Value, not prestige.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Majors ranked
    20
    Programs ranked
    8,404
    Edition
    2026–27
    Browse rankings All programs A–Z

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    Highest median graduate earnings by major

    Computer engineering
    $109,085
    Electrical engineering
    $99,787
    Computer science
    $97,375
    Engineering
    $91,742
    Mechanical engineering
    $91,366
    Civil engineering
    $85,627
    Median earnings four years after the bachelor's degree at the median ranked college. Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025.

    20 majors

    Rankings by major

    The top three in each ranking with their value score and graduate earnings. Open a ranking for every figure, state filters and the CSV.

    Every program A–Z

    How the value score works

    Each part is a percentile among the colleges ranked for that major, so 80 means better than 80% of them. The four parts are averaged, with earnings weighted most.

    CollegesRef methodology

    • Graduate earnings

      Median pay of the major's graduates four years after the degree. Weighted most.

    • Average net price

      What aided first-year students pay a year after grants, for the whole college.

    • Debt-to-earnings

      Median federal debt of the major's graduates against what they earn.

    • Graduation rate

      Share of students finishing within six years, college-wide.

    Data: U.S. College Scorecard field-of-study data for bachelor's programs at public and private nonprofit colleges. A major is listed only when enough colleges qualify; each ranking page gives its exact weights, program codes, thresholds and limits.

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