Top Colleges For Your Tuition Buck

Wouldn't it be nice to know that all the money you're sinking into sky-high tuition would pay off with a good future salary? Now there's a way to figure out what kind of payoff your higher education investment is likely to reap. (Spending a few thousand dollars could help you earn millions more. Check out Invest In Yourself With A College Education.)

Payscale's 2009 College Salary Report outlines median starting salaries and median mid-career salaries for college grads nationwide. Compare that number to your tuition outlay and you can decide if you're paying for a big name or a better salary.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, tuition costs listed are for out-of-state residents, as reported by Sallie Mae.

Midwestern Schools
There are great schools to choose from in the Midwest and some surprising deals to find. For example, you could shell out $25,823 per year to attend Drake University in Iowa and they'll probably earn a mid-career median salary of $90,100. Or you could steer him or her toward the less expensive Iowa State University.

Iowa State will only set you back $17,455 but still likely earn a mid-career median salary of $85,300. That's a tuition savings of $33,472 over a four-year degree program for a very comparable salary. Review a few more good "buys" to be found in the Midwest.

Western Schools (non-Californian schools)
If you want to head west, you don't have to mortgage your future to earn a higher than average mid-career salary. For example, it costs out of state residents $37,887 yearly in tuition to attend Colorado College in Colorado Springs and they'll likely earn a mid-career median salary of $90,200.

Or you could head north on I-25 and attend the University of Colorado-Denver instead. Tuition there will run you $17,980 annually but graduates are likely to earn a starting salary of $44,500 (higher than Colorado College grads) and bring in a very competitive mid-career median salary of $86,200. 

Over the course of four years you would save over $80,000 in tuition expenses and would earn roughly the same amount as his Colorado College peers. Check out some other regional college choices.

California
California offers surf, sand, mountains and your choice of college majors. But just like the wide variety of terrain and climates statewide, there is a wide variety of college tuition costs and mid-career median salaries for grads. (Overwhelmed by increasing tuition costs? The U.S. government can help. Check out Investing In Your Child's Education.)

For example you could plunk down $38,221 annually in tuition at Occidental and likely realize a mid-career median salary of $95,700, or you could save $33,384 ($8,346 annually for 4 years) by going to to UCLA instead and they're likely to make both a higher starting and mid-career median salary ($112,000)!

Post-secondary education is a huge expense to undertake. Having an idea of the salary you will earn upon graduating and in the years after can help ensure you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to tuition. (Find out what to do when your kid is ready for higher education but you aren't. Read Preparing Parents' Pockets For College Tuition.)

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