PayScale.com released its annual list of top colleges based on students’ return on their tuition and borrowing investments, and Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) is noted once again for one of the best returns on investment (ROI) among colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest.
In the latest edition of the College ROI report, PayScale examines which colleges and universities offer the best career and salary return against tuition costs and any debt load that students have incurred. Oregon Tech is listed as 18th out of 1,223 schools for annual ROI (71st in 20-year net ROI), which is the Earnings Differential divided by the Total Cost for a 2014 Graduate, annualized to represent the percent of expected ROI received each year after graduation. PayScale reports that the average college student graduating accumulates almost $30,000 in student loans, while Oregon Tech graduates are listed at $24,800 and have a typical starting salary of $56,000.
In explaining its list, PayScale notes:
No matter how you look at it, college is an investment — both of time and money. The benefit to this particular investment is that there are returns far beyond the obvious monetary ones. However, the financial aspects of evaluating college return on investment cannot be ignored. And, some schools are simply doing a better job of setting their alumni up for success in the job market. Whether you’re planning to study computer science or psychology, earning potential in your chosen field, along with the cost of attendance for the schools you’re considering, should be part of the equation when whittling down your list of best return on investment colleges.
Access to data showing how other alumni following a similar path have fared in the job market is critical to ensuring students are making financial decisions that make sense. The dollar figure assigned to each of the 1,223 institutions examined – the ROI – represented the amount a college graduate could expect to earn over and above what a typical high school graduate earned during the same period, after deducting the cost of obtaining his or her degree.
To view the complete “2015 College Education ROI Report” and the list of all 1223 institutions ranked, go to PayScale.
About Oregon Tech
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology is the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Tech provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communication, and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public, and international communities through hands-on learning. Oregon Tech has a full-service, residential campus in Klamath Falls and an urban, industry-focused campus in Wilsonville. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Institute of Technology.
