Best-Value Colleges in Connecticut
10 Connecticut 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Connecticut is Yale University, New Haven - a net price of $11,340 against $100,533 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 8.9×, with a 96% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Yale University New Haven, CT | $11,340 | $100,533 | 8.9× | 96% | $69,900 |
| 2 |  University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT | $8,616 | $73,997 | 8.6× | 59% | $18,250 |
| 3 |  University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT | $13,961 | $73,997 | 5.3× | 65% | $18,240 |
| 4 |  Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | $23,014 | $73,897 | 3.2× | 92% | $73,128 |
| 5 |  University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | $24,342 | $73,997 | 3.0× | 84% | $21,334 |
| 6 |  Trinity College Hartford, CT | $37,004 | $90,779 | 2.5× | 83% | $73,590 |
| 7 |  Connecticut College New London, CT | $35,960 | $75,001 | 2.1× | 84% | $70,266 |
| 8 |  Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT | $41,729 | $83,759 | 2.0× | 77% | $57,700 |
| 9 |  Fairfield University Fairfield, CT | $49,906 | $88,794 | 1.8× | 84% | $60,810 |
| 10 |  Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT | $45,827 | $75,059 | 1.6× | 75% | $52,410 |
How we ranked this
From every Connecticut four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Connecticut?+
Yale University in New Haven has the highest return on investment among Connecticut 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $11,340 against $100,533 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 8.9× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 96% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Connecticut four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.