Best Value / By Major

Best Value Colleges for Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General

Schools ranked by payback period — how quickly you recoup your investment through higher earnings.

46

Schools Ranked

$31,694

Avg. Earnings

3.9 yrs

Best Payback

3,767

Graduates

How we calculate value: Payback = (4 years of net price) / (major earnings - $35k baseline). A 2-year payback means you recoup your investment in 2 years through higher earnings vs. not attending college.

#	School	Net Price/yr	Major Earnings	Payback
1	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private	$19,026	$54,661	3.9 yrs
2	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred Alfred, NY · Public	$18,893	$53,697	4 yrs
3	Marist University Poughkeepsie, NY · Private	$30,498	$48,432	9.1 yrs
4	Lipscomb University Nashville, TN · Private	$23,076	$42,682	12 yrs
5	National University San Diego, CA · Private	$23,427	$39,927	19 yrs
6	Touro University New York, NY · Private	$24,578	$38,649	26.9 yrs
7	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	$21,649	$37,208	39.2 yrs
8	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL · Private	$37,835	$35,954	158.6 yrs
9	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public	$13,644	$35,274	199.2 yrs
10	Hodges University Fort Myers, FL · Private	$20,698	$35,274	302.2 yrs
11	University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL · Public	$10,194	$35,060	679.6 yrs
12	Stonehill College Easton, MA · Private	$26,555	$32,514	N/A
13	Mount Saint Mary College Newburgh, NY · Private	$25,229	$25,194	N/A
14	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	$21,725	$33,993	N/A
15	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public	$15,283	$32,925	N/A
16	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA · Public	$12,224	$32,747	N/A
17	Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID · Private	$5,422	$20,140	N/A
18	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	$23,468	$20,596	N/A
19	Houston Christian University Houston, TX · Private	$20,447	$28,598	N/A
20	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA · Public	$16,819	$33,840	N/A
21	University of Toledo Toledo, OH · Public	$17,555	$32,644	N/A
22	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	$9,426	$28,547	N/A
23	Boise State University Boise, ID · Public	$16,204	$33,352	N/A
24	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL · Public	$12,323	$31,314	N/A
25	Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA · Public	$16,389	$32,772	N/A
26	Jackson State University Jackson, MS · Public	$22,299	$30,475	N/A
27	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	$14,142	$29,685	N/A
28	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	$8,393	$27,765	N/A
29	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA · Public	$8,147	$27,765	N/A
30	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ · Private	$15,022	$23,761	N/A
31	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Madison, NJ · Private	$20,940	$23,761	N/A
32	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL · Public	$15,705	$27,346	N/A
33	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA · Public	$19,050	$29,517	N/A
34	Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA · Public	$22,731	$31,314	N/A
35	Covenant College Lookout Mountain, GA · Private	$21,833	$28,598	N/A
36	Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI · Private	$20,671	$25,194	N/A
37	University of South Alabama Mobile, AL · Public	$17,568	$32,071	N/A
38	Chowan University Murfreesboro, NC · Private	$17,576	$26,121	N/A
39	University of North Alabama Florence, AL · Public	$15,060	$28,236	N/A
40	CUNY York College Jamaica, NY · Public	$9,462	$33,993	N/A
41	Geneva College Beaver Falls, PA · Private	$17,522	$32,029	N/A
42	College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, ME · Private	$14,898	$16,920	N/A
43	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public	$15,809	$28,960	N/A
44	Thomas University Thomasville, GA · Private	$23,901	$28,598	N/A
45	Western Illinois University Macomb, IL · Public	$15,794	$28,019	N/A
46	Brown University Providence, RI · Private	$10,219	$28,019	N/A

Top Earners in Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General

See schools ranked by earnings alone, without considering cost.

Best Value Rankings

Explore best value colleges across all majors and categories.

Payback uses earnings by major from the College Scorecard's field-of-study file, last updated June 2026, against net price from the June 2026 release. Scorecard publishes the two separately, so they are different vintages.