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FM
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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.

 
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Binghamton, New York
 

 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

 
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Texas A&M fans
 

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

University of Virginia
 

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

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