College Rankings

Best Hospitality Management Schools

The top 25 of 135 U.S. colleges offering an undergraduate Hospitality Management degree, ranked by early-career earnings and return on investment — using each school's real, aid-adjusted net price rather than sticker tuition.

Is Hospitality Management worth it?

A hospitality degree is one of the most geographically dependent investments you can make. The payoff isn't automatic; this is an industry notorious for low starting wages and grueling hours at the entry level. However, the degree becomes highly lucrative when you leverage it as a specialized business track—focusing on revenue management, corporate event strategy, or hospitality real estate. The value in this ranking leans heavily toward two extremes: elite private universities with untouchable industry networks, and highly affordable public colleges situated squarely in major tourism and convention hubs. If you avoid overpaying for a mid-tier private school in a market with no hotels, the degree reliably pays for itself.

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#	School	State	Score	Median earnings	Net price / yr	10-yr net ROI
1	Cornell University	NY	72	$77,803	$28,690	+$663K
2	George Washington University	DC	63	$53,625	$36,586	+$390K
3	Utah Valley University	UT	62	$42,070	$6,376†	+$395K
4	University of Delaware	DE	60	$37,563	$17,799†	+$304K
5	Texas Tech University	TX	59	$41,506	$19,070†	+$339K
6	University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online	NH	59	$36,590	$10,864†	+$322K
7	California State University-East Bay	CA	59	$34,015	$9,320†	+$303K
8	Florida Atlantic University	FL	58	$36,827	$8,752†	+$333K
9	James Madison University	VA	57	$46,915	$23,322†	+$376K
10	Campbell University	NC	57	$44,464	$24,516	+$347K
11	San Diego State University	CA	57	$40,009	$15,364†	+$339K
12	Purdue University Northwest	IN	57	$39,017	$6,079†	+$366K
13	George Mason University	VA	56	$45,151	$17,915†	+$380K
14	Washington State University	WA	56	$41,251	$14,971†	+$353K
15	Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	56	$41,099	$14,600†	+$353K
16	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus	NJ	56	$38,330	$15,404	+$322K
17	University of Mississippi	MS	56	$34,282	$13,314†	+$290K
18	Michigan State University	MI	55	$41,069	$19,680†	+$332K
19	Florida State University	FL	55	$37,330	$11,297†	+$328K
20	Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	54	$39,108	$12,568†	+$341K
21	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	54	$35,277	$10,359†	+$311K
22	University of South Florida	FL	54	$34,703	$9,812†	+$308K
23	San Francisco State University	CA	54	$34,153	$12,278†	+$292K
24	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	53	$45,771	$24,953†	+$358K
25	University of Wisconsin-Stout	WI	53	$43,359	$17,490†	+$364K
26	National Louis University	IL	53	$42,196	$12,641	+$371K
27	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley	PA	53	$39,808	$18,220†	+$325K
28	The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	53	$35,569	$10,836†	+$312K
29	Kansas State University	KS	52	$42,073	$19,406†	+$343K
30	North Dakota State University-Main Campus	ND	52	$41,984	$15,543†	+$358K
31	University of North Texas	TX	52	$41,183	$15,649†	+$349K
32	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	52	$39,266	$22,383†	+$303K
33	Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	52	$38,351	$15,327†	+$322K
34	Northern Arizona University	AZ	52	$37,402	$14,158†	+$317K
35	Indiana University-Indianapolis	IN	52	$37,151	$11,668†	+$325K
36	Florida International University	FL	52	$33,364	$9,288†	+$296K
37	Indiana University-Kokomo	IN	52	$32,325	$3,968†	+$307K
38	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	51	$39,689	$17,747†	+$326K
39	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	51	$36,986	$17,339†	+$301K
40	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	51	$35,878	$17,447†	+$289K
41	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	51	$33,930	$11,531†	+$293K
42	University of Central Florida	FL	51	$33,624	$10,411†	+$295K
43	College of Charleston	SC	50	$39,688	$18,960†	+$321K
44	East Carolina University	NC	50	$38,049	$15,739†	+$318K
45	California State University-Long Beach	CA	50	$34,560	$10,440†	+$304K
46	Appalachian State University	NC	50	$33,702	$16,836†	+$270K
47	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	NC	50	$31,952	$10,965†	+$276K
48	University of Denver	CO	49	$47,679	$36,131	+$332K
49	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus	NJ	49	$38,330	$22,829	+$292K
50	York College of Pennsylvania	PA	49	$37,238	$18,556	+$298K
51	Central Michigan University	MI	49	$37,187	$17,597†	+$301K
52	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	49	$36,439	$18,976†	+$288K
53	California State University-Northridge	CA	49	$25,340	$7,021†	+$225K
54	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	48	$41,688	$21,279†	+$332K
55	New York University	NY	48	$40,637	$37,050	+$258K
56	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks	PA	48	$39,808	$24,356†	+$301K
57	University of West Florida	FL	48	$34,656	$9,364†	+$309K
58	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	48	$33,869	$14,967†	+$279K
59	University of Houston	TX	48	$32,639	$14,276†	+$269K
60	Boston University	MA	47	$44,657	$24,402	+$349K
61	University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	47	$38,916	$20,268†	+$308K
62	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania	PA	47	$38,531	$18,134†	+$313K
63	Iowa State University	IA	47	$36,743	$18,589†	+$293K
64	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	NH	47	$36,590	$23,805†	+$271K
65	University of South Carolina Beaufort	SC	47	$34,503	$14,656†	+$286K
66	Purdue University Fort Wayne	IN	47	$34,013	$13,171†	+$287K
67	Georgia State University	GA	47	$32,939	$15,931†	+$266K
68	Auburn University	AL	46	$40,664	$24,323†	+$309K
69	Grand Valley State University	MI	46	$35,406	$16,317†	+$289K
70	Coastal Carolina University	SC	46	$34,300	$13,966†	+$287K
71	Niagara University	NY	46	$31,790	$17,248	+$249K
72	Husson University	ME	45	$40,812	$21,005	+$324K
73	University of Maryland Eastern Shore	MD	45	$36,472	$13,338†	+$311K
74	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	45	$36,451	$17,613†	+$294K
75	California State University-Monterey Bay	CA	45	$35,760	$13,663†	+$303K
76	Central Connecticut State University	CT	45	$33,685	$16,857†	+$269K
77	Ferris State University	MI	45	$33,228	$8,624†	+$298K
78	Kent State University at Ashtabula	OH	45	$31,926	$12,205†	+$270K
79	SUNY Buffalo State University	NY	45	$31,629	$11,346†	+$271K
80	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	44	$39,808	$32,875†	+$267K
81	State University of New York at Plattsburgh	NY	44	$39,099	$17,156†	+$322K
82	Widener University	PA	44	$37,861	$25,759	+$276K
83	University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	44	$36,690	$22,811†	+$276K
84	Fort Hays State University	KS	44	$34,004	$12,569†	+$290K
85	University of Memphis	TN	44	$31,190	$12,397†	+$262K
86	New Mexico State University-Main Campus	NM	44	$29,942	$8,889†	+$264K
87	Western Kentucky University	KY	44	$29,492	$10,990†	+$251K
88	Saint Leo University	FL	44	$28,130	$21,293	+$196K
89	Morgan State University	MD	43	$36,845	$14,985†	+$309K
90	Northwestern State University of Louisiana	LA	43	$35,452	$13,606†	+$300K
91	Kennesaw State University	GA	43	$35,039	$15,048†	+$290K
92	Stephen F Austin State University	TX	43	$30,758	$14,260†	+$251K
93	Eastern Michigan University	MI	43	$29,405	$15,407†	+$232K
94	Western Carolina University	NC	43	$29,395	$13,315†	+$241K
95	CUNY New York City College of Technology	NY	43	$25,494	$5,127†	+$234K
96	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	42	$37,743	$21,315†	+$292K
97	Mercyhurst University	PA	42	$34,675	$19,444	+$269K
98	Southeast Missouri State University	MO	42	$34,395	$15,882†	+$280K
99	South Dakota State University	SD	42	$32,512	$19,841†	+$246K
100	Indiana University of Pennsylvania	PA	42	$30,307	$16,804†	+$236K
101	University of New Orleans	LA	42	$27,878	$12,384†	+$229K
102	University of Kentucky	KY	42	$27,809	$18,851†	+$203K
103	Northern Illinois University	IL	41	$32,337	$13,391†	+$270K
104	Youngstown State University	OH	41	$28,245	$12,767†	+$231K
105	Southern New Hampshire University	NH	40	$37,829	$36,708	+$231K
106	Temple University	PA	40	$35,339	$28,198†	+$241K
107	The University of Alabama	AL	40	$32,178	$22,420†	+$232K
108	Stockton University	NJ	40	$30,833	$20,670†	+$226K
109	Roosevelt University	IL	39	$35,871	$20,194	+$278K
110	Grand Canyon University	AZ	39	$34,370	$22,472	+$254K
111	Johnson & Wales University-Online	RI	39	$33,374	$20,252	+$253K
112	Lasell University	MA	39	$31,858	$27,511	+$209K
113	University of Southern Maine	ME	38	$29,924	$13,596†	+$245K
114	DePaul University	IL	37	$34,722	$30,902	+$224K
115	Robert Morris University	PA	37	$32,255	$23,003	+$231K
116	Kent State University at Kent	OH	37	$31,926	$20,787†	+$236K
117	West Virginia University	WV	37	$30,363	$15,634†	+$241K
118	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	36	$28,587	$13,530†	+$232K
119	Arkansas Tech University	AR	36	$27,969	$12,970†	+$228K
120	Culinary Institute of America	NY	35	$35,865	$36,113	+$214K
121	Endicott College	MA	35	$34,562	$40,654	+$183K
122	Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte	NC	35	$33,374	$27,426	+$224K
123	Ball State University	IN	35	$28,071	$14,940†	+$221K
124	Rochester Institute of Technology	NY	34	$35,449	$34,906	+$215K
125	Johnson & Wales University-Providence	RI	34	$33,374	$31,027	+$210K
126	Flagler College	FL	34	$29,632	$30,525	+$174K
127	University of South Alabama	AL	34	$28,310	$17,648†	+$213K
128	North Carolina Central University	NC	34	$27,752	$15,359†	+$216K
129	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	NY	34	$27,450	$17,225†	+$206K
130	University of Hawaii at Manoa	HI	33	$29,002	$15,664†	+$227K
131	St. John's University-New York	NY	32	$29,391	$29,999	+$174K
132	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus	PR	32	$14,978	$7,761	+$119K
133	St. Joseph's University-New York	NY	31	$24,571	$19,035	+$170K
134	Northern Michigan University	MI	30	$21,074	$14,085†	+$154K
135	New York Institute of Technology	NY	29	$22,974	$22,443	+$140K

Top 10 programs by 10-year net ROI

How to read this: Median earnings = typical pay one year after graduation. Net price = average annual cost after grant aid, incl. living costs — not sticker tuition. 10-yr net ROI = ten years of earnings minus four years of net price. Score = the CollegeRanked Score (0–100) that sets the order — it blends ROI with longer-run earnings, job demand and automation resilience, so a school can outrank one with a slightly higher 10-yr ROI. † = public university — net price shown is the in-state cost; out-of-state students pay more. See the full methodology.

Why these schools rank where they do

Cornell University takes the #1 spot because its legendary Nolan School of Hotel Administration operates like an Ivy League finance program disguised as a hospitality degree. Graduates aren't just managing front desks; they are recruited directly into hospitality real estate, private equity, and global corporate strategy, aided by the hands-on crucible of running the on-campus Statler Hotel.

The most fascinating story in this data, however, is the contrast between the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (#21) and Utah Valley University (#3). You might expect UNLV to dominate given its location on the Vegas Strip, but its graduates enter a highly saturated local market where entry-level management wages are often suppressed by sheer volume. Utah Valley, on the other hand, quietly crushes the ROI math. It pairs rock-bottom public tuition with a direct pipeline into Utah's exploding outdoor tourism industry, ski resort management, and the booming Silicon Slopes corporate event sector. Similarly, East Coast heavyweights like the University of Delaware (#4)—home to the Vita Nova student-run restaurant and Marriott Center—prove that proximity to the Mid-Atlantic corporate corridor drives massive premium outcomes for graduates.

What is Hospitality Management?

Hospitality management is the business of human experience, covering everything from luxury hotel operations and global tourism to corporate event planning and restaurant groups. Graduates don't just learn how to make guests comfortable; they master revenue management, real estate development, and the complex logistics of running 24/7 service ecosystems.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a hospitality degree to work in hotels or events?

No. Many professionals work their way up from entry-level roles or transition from general business degrees. However, a specialized hospitality degree from a well-connected school fast-tracks you into management training programs and corporate roles, letting you skip years of front-line shift work.

Why are there so many Florida and California schools on this list?

Geography is destiny in hospitality. Schools like Florida Atlantic, Florida State, and San Diego State have built-in laboratories. Their students intern year-round at theme parks, coastal resorts, and major convention centers, building resumes and employer networks that land them higher-paying jobs the moment they graduate.

Should I double major in business or finance?

If your goal is hotel development, asset management, or corporate strategy, pairing hospitality with finance or accounting is an incredibly strong move. It separates you from peers who only focus on guest relations and signals to employers that you understand the bottom line of the real estate they operate.