These 10 Colleges Are the Biggest Waste of Tuition Money in the U.S.
Now that we know which colleges are the best to invest your time in — how about the worst?
The U.S. national student debt is now over $1 trillion, and many students are taking out loans for an education that might not benefit them in the long-run. Over 90% of students enrolled in two-year programs at for-profit institutions graduate with debt, as opposed to community colleges, where only 38% need to take out loans.
Out of over 1,300 institutions, the schools on this list had the lowest 20-year net returns in the country — making the strong argument that it might have been better not to attend them in the first place. And some majors had it even worse: those who majored in the arts, English, humanities, education and social work at the following schools had negative-value degrees:
Image Credit: The Atlantic
Without further ado, here are the 10 least valuable colleges, arranged by 20-year net value:
1. Shaw University (-$156,000)
Cost of a degree (2013): $116,300
Its value over 20 years: $-156,000
Annual return on investment: <-11.9%
Graduation rate: 26%
2. Fayetteville State ($-131,000 for out of state)
Cost of a degree (2013): $112,500
Its value over 20 years: $-131,000
Annual return on investment: <-11.9%
Graduation rate: 31%
3. Bluefield College ($-123,000)
Cost of a degree (2013): $162,700
Its value over 20 years: $-123,000
Annual return on investment: -6.7%
Graduation rate: 34%
4. Savannah State University ($-115,000 for out of state)
Cost of a degree (2013): $124,200
Its value over 20 years: $-115,000
Annual return on investment: -11.9%
Graduation rate: 32%
5. University of North Carolina at Asheville ($-94,000 for out of state)
Cost of a degree (2013): $129,900
Its value over 20 years: $-94,000
Annual return on investment: -6.1%
Graduation rate: 55%
6. Ashland University ($-91,600)
Cost of a degree (2013): $173,600
Its value over 20 years: $-91,600
Annual return on investment: -3.5%
Graduation rate: 61%
7. University of Montevallo ($-91,400 for out of state)
Cost of a degree (2013): $117,400
Its value over 20 years: $-91,400
Annual return on investment: -7.1%
Graduation rate: 47%
8. Maryland Institute College of Art ($-90,900)
Cost of a degree (2013): $205,200
Its value over 20 years: $-90,900
Annual return on investment: -2.7%
Graduation rate: 71%
9. Goshen College ($-87,500)
Cost of a degree (2013): $153,200
Its value over 20 years: $-87,500
Annual return on investment: -4.0%
Graduation rate: 71%
10. Meredith College ($-81,100)
Cost of a degree (2013): $154,800
Its value over 20 years: $-81,100
Annual return on investment: -3.5%
Graduation rate: 59%
