College Rankings By Major: Which Schools and What Majors Will Max Out Your ROI

The cost of college is skyrocketing, so much so that students need loans to pay their tuition bill.

Both factors have led to a national student loan bill totaling $1.2 trillion, so the process of picking a college or university has become even more important. Below is a list of schools and which major they offer that will have the best return on investment (ROI), according to a report from USA Today.

While several of the best schools, for whatever major a given student is considering, will cost the most, the average annual salary of graduates more than make up for the large bill. For example, you may pay tens of thousands of dollars per year for a Stanford undergraduate degree in computer science, but the potential $1.7 million ROI would take care of the student loan bill.

1. Stanford University

Where? Stanford, Calif.

Degree: Computer Science

ROI: $1.7 million

Acceptance: 6.6 percent

2. Harvey Mudd College

Where? Claremont, Calif.

Degree: Computer Science

ROI: $1.1 million

Acceptance: 21 percent

3. Texas A&M University

Where? College Station, Texas

Degree: Political Science

ROI: $600, 000

Acceptance: 67 percent

4. Columbia University

Where? New York, N.Y.

Degree: Arts

ROI: $478,000

Acceptance: 7.4 percent

5. Montclair State University

Where? Montclair, N.J.

Degree: Education

ROI: $189,000

Acceptance: 57 percent

On the other end of the spectrum are the schools and the majors they offer which are best to avoid. Some may be comparably expensive, but not worth the money when considering poor their poor ROI.

1. Murray State University

Where? Murray, Ky.

Degree: Arts

ROI: -$197,000

Acceptance: 81 percent

2. Florida International University

Where? Miami, Fla.

Degree: Humanities

ROI: -192,000

Acceptance: 40 percent

3. Virginia Commonwealth University

Where? Richmond, Va.