When choosing where to go to college, cost of tuition and future job prospects are two important factors to consider.
And while many expensive institutions are worth the investment — it's crucial to do what's right for you, after all — going to an in-state school usually guarantees that you're saving money right off the bat. Especially if that school often proves its value by leading to high-paying careers later on.
Payscale's annual College ROI Report determines the return on investment for schools across the U.S. by subtracting the cost of attendance from graduates' 20-year pay. For the report, Payscale draws its data from the approximately 1.3 million college-educated workers who successfully completed PayScale's Employee Survey over the last 10 years. Read a complete breakdown of the methodology here.
For this list, CNBC narrowed down the list to public institutions, focusing only on in-state tuition costs.
Though no one can guarantee that attending any particular school will result in the same ROI, here are 25 schools that give you a good shot.
25. SUNY Binghamton University
20-year net ROI: $563,000
Total cost for four years: $92,800
Average loan amount: $27,800
24. Oregon Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $566,000
Total cost for four years: $86,400
Average loan amount: $24,700
23. University of Massachusetts at Lowell
20-year net ROI: $568,000
Total cost for four years: $104,000
Average loan amount: $28,500
22. Texas A&M University
20-year net ROI: $569,000
Total cost for four years: $89,700
Average loan amount: $24,100
21. San Jose State University
20-year net ROI: $576,00
Total cost for four years: $99,200
Average loan amount: $21,900
20. Virginia Polytechnic and State University
20-year net ROI: $582,000
Total cost for four years: $102,000
Average loan amount: $32,400
19. University of Washington at Bothell
20-year net ROI: $583,000
Total cost for four years: $109,000
Average loan amount: $20,600
17. TIE: University of Virginia
20-year net ROI: $601,000
Total cost for four years: $108,000
Average loan amount: $29,300
17. TIE: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
20-year net ROI: $601,000
Total cost for four years: $76,000
Average loan amount: $19,600
16. Montana Tech
20-year net ROI: $612,000
Total cost for four years: $75,700
Average loan amount: $22,400
15. University of California at San Diego
20-year net ROI: $623,000
Total cost for four years: $123,000
Average loan amount: $22,600
14. Michigan Technological University
20-year net ROI: $625,000
Total cost for four years: $107,000
Average loan amount: $29,300
13. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
20-year net ROI: $653,000
Total cost for four years: $89,700
Average loan amount: $29,200
12. Virginia Military Institute
20-year net ROI: $660,000
Total cost for four years: $106,000
Average loan amount: $29,500
11. California Polytechnic State University
20-year net ROI: $678,000
Total cost for four years: $98,300
Average loan amount: $23,400
10. New Jersey Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $688,000
Total cost for four years: $131,000
Average loan amount: $31,900
9. Missouri University of Science and Technology
20-year net ROI: $713,000
Total cost for four years: $87,400
Average loan amount: $27,500
8. Maine Maritime Academy
20-year net ROI: $725,000
Total cost for four years: $100,000
Average loan amount: $43,200
7. University of California at Berkeley
20-year net ROI: $732,000
Total cost for four years: $136,000
Average loan amount: $23,300
6. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
20-year net ROI: $773,000
Total cost for four years: $89,900
Average loan amount: $
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
20-year net ROI: $824,000
Total cost for four years: $96,200
Average loan amount: $31,700
4. California State University, Maritime
20-year net ROI: $826,000
Total cost for four years: $87,500
Average loan amount: $30,600
3. Colorado School of Mines
20-year net ROI: $883,000
Total cost for four years: $123,000
Average loan amount: $33,400
2. SUNY Maritime College
20-year net ROI: $895,000
Total cost for four years: $92,300
Average loan amount: $32,000
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
20-year net ROI: $1,056,000
Total cost for four years: $33,100
Average loan amount: $12,300