College Rankings

Best Mathematics Schools

The top 25 of 258 U.S. colleges offering an undergraduate Mathematics degree, ranked by early-career earnings and return on investment — using each school's real, aid-adjusted net price rather than sticker tuition.

Is Mathematics worth it?

A math degree is one of the most reliable wealth-building credentials available, provided you point it in the right direction. If you use your degree to enter quantitative finance, data science, or software engineering, the financial return is staggering. The catch? The degree itself is highly abstract, meaning you often have to actively build your own bridge to industry by picking up programming skills and internships along the way. The schools that win big on this list fall into two distinct camps: elite private colleges whose brand names serve as direct pipelines to high-frequency trading firms, and accessible public universities that act as high-volume talent pumps for regional tech and defense hubs. You don't necessarily need an Ivy League pedigree to win here; a low-cost state school with a strong applied math ecosystem will easily set you up for a highly lucrative career.

Filter by state

#	School	State	Score	Median earnings	Net price / yr	10-yr net ROI
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	MA	81	$109,288	$20,111	+$1.0M
2	Vanderbilt University	TN	81	$103,812	$15,846	+$975K
3	University of Chicago	IL	81	$100,421	$14,860	+$945K
4	Bowdoin College	ME	81	$90,213	$14,398	+$845K
5	Johns Hopkins University	MD	79	$83,171	$18,809	+$756K
6	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	79	$80,676	$13,138†	+$754K
7	Cornell University	NY	78	$87,251	$28,690	+$758K
8	Duke University	NC	77	$121,088	$29,612	+$1.1M
9	University of Maryland-College Park	MD	77	$79,129	$15,678†	+$729K
10	Amherst College	MA	77	$78,500	$23,367	+$692K
11	Swarthmore College	PA	77	$72,656	$23,149	+$634K
12	Northwestern University	IL	74	$79,530	$29,167	+$679K
13	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	74	$67,744	$17,354†	+$608K
14	University of Virginia-Main Campus	VA	74	$60,784	$21,565†	+$522K
15	William & Mary	VA	74	$60,494	$19,096†	+$529K
16	Georgetown University	DC	73	$88,081	$40,815	+$718K
17	New Jersey Institute of Technology	NJ	73	$65,725	$16,504†	+$591K
18	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	73	$53,402	$11,655†	+$487K
19	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	71	$56,284	$15,014†	+$503K
20	Rutgers University-Camden	NJ	71	$54,953	$18,745†	+$475K
21	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	IN	70	$85,977	$42,513	+$690K
22	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington	PA	70	$59,629	$18,071†	+$524K
23	University of Memphis	TN	70	$57,310	$12,397†	+$524K
24	Rutgers University-Newark	NJ	70	$54,953	$19,703†	+$471K
25	University of Maryland-Baltimore County	MD	70	$54,362	$16,467†	+$478K
26	CUNY Hunter College	NY	70	$48,918	$2,984†	+$477K
27	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	NY	69	$80,196	$36,228	+$657K
28	Northeastern University	MA	69	$76,392	$30,915	+$640K
29	University of Notre Dame	IN	69	$65,302	$26,780	+$546K
30	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	69	$60,011	$19,857†	+$521K
31	Indiana University-Bloomington	IN	69	$59,277	$16,264†	+$528K
32	University of Nebraska at Omaha	NE	69	$58,995	$13,441†	+$536K
33	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	69	$58,153	$16,778†	+$514K
34	George Mason University	VA	69	$54,711	$17,915†	+$475K
35	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	69	$52,729	$14,967†	+$467K
36	University of Delaware	DE	69	$52,308	$17,799†	+$452K
37	East Texas A&M University	TX	69	$52,044	$11,841†	+$473K
38	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	69	$46,585	$14,091†	+$409K
39	University of Washington-Bothell Campus	WA	69	$46,585	$12,319†	+$417K
40	University of Florida	FL	69	$46,036	$6,541†	+$434K
41	Towson University	MD	68	$56,443	$17,413†	+$495K
42	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	68	$54,953	$24,406†	+$452K
43	University of Arizona	AZ	68	$54,781	$16,674†	+$481K
44	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	CO	68	$52,695	$11,900†	+$479K
45	University of California-Berkeley	CA	68	$46,674	$13,481†	+$413K
46	Boston College	MA	67	$74,144	$41,704	+$575K
47	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona	PA	67	$59,629	$22,213†	+$507K
48	Indiana University-East	IN	67	$58,764	$8,134†	+$555K
49	New York University	NY	67	$58,481	$37,050	+$437K
50	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus	CT	67	$53,284	$10,875†	+$489K
51	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	67	$53,136	$16,665†	+$465K
52	University of California-San Diego	CA	67	$52,339	$12,470†	+$474K
53	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	67	$48,728	$14,355†	+$430K
54	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College	PA	66	$59,629	$24,558†	+$498K
55	St Olaf College	MN	66	$58,825	$23,874	+$493K
56	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	66	$52,921	$17,339†	+$460K
57	James Madison University	VA	65	$58,810	$23,322†	+$495K
58	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	65	$55,482	$18,743†	+$480K
59	University of Connecticut-Avery Point	CT	65	$53,284	$13,807†	+$478K
60	Binghamton University	NY	65	$47,822	$21,620†	+$392K
61	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	TX	65	$47,199	$4,831†	+$453K
62	University of Georgia	GA	65	$47,188	$13,936†	+$416K
63	University of Rochester	NY	65	$45,426	$29,278	+$337K
64	College of the Holy Cross	MA	64	$61,761	$38,782	+$462K
65	University of Iowa	IA	64	$60,612	$22,531†	+$516K
66	University of Houston	TX	64	$54,710	$14,276†	+$490K
67	Kent State University at Stark	OH	64	$54,367	$10,897†	+$500K
68	Hamilton College	NY	64	$53,698	$28,985	+$421K
69	Iowa State University	IA	64	$51,422	$18,589†	+$440K
70	Florida State University	FL	64	$49,919	$11,297†	+$454K
71	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	WI	64	$49,651	$16,210†	+$432K
72	University of Massachusetts-Lowell	MA	64	$49,571	$17,163†	+$427K
73	Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	64	$48,997	$15,327†	+$429K
74	University of Nevada-Reno	NV	64	$46,365	$15,927†	+$400K
75	Texas A & M International University	TX	64	$46,055	$3,637†	+$446K
76	University of California-Irvine	CA	64	$45,924	$14,251†	+$402K
77	San Francisco State University	CA	64	$44,257	$12,278†	+$393K
78	Dartmouth College	NH	63	$108,255	$29,519	+$964K
79	Villanova University	PA	63	$75,481	$43,756	+$580K
80	St Lawrence University	NY	63	$58,047	$28,651	+$466K
81	DePaul University	IL	63	$55,586	$30,902	+$432K
82	Old Dominion University	VA	63	$50,912	$14,638†	+$451K
83	Clemson University	SC	63	$47,529	$22,253†	+$386K
84	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	63	$46,447	$16,109†	+$400K
85	Northern Illinois University	IL	63	$44,857	$13,391†	+$395K
86	Southern Methodist University	TX	62	$74,516	$40,892	+$582K
87	Drexel University	PA	62	$70,313	$38,509	+$549K
88	Boston University	MA	62	$64,604	$24,402	+$548K
89	University of Connecticut-Stamford	CT	62	$53,284	$16,798†	+$466K
90	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus	CT	62	$53,284	$16,403†	+$467K
91	University of North Texas	TX	62	$53,133	$15,649†	+$469K
92	Northern Arizona University	AZ	62	$49,588	$14,158†	+$439K
93	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire	WI	62	$48,609	$16,550†	+$420K
94	Washington University in St Louis	MO	61	$79,799	$21,786	+$711K
95	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	61	$59,629	$32,875†	+$465K
96	University of Rhode Island	RI	61	$55,330	$21,440†	+$468K
97	Stephen F Austin State University	TX	61	$52,774	$14,260†	+$471K
98	Salisbury University	MD	61	$49,125	$17,743†	+$420K
99	Central Connecticut State University	CT	61	$48,660	$16,857†	+$419K
100	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	61	$48,188	$17,613†	+$411K
101	Fordham University	NY	60	$73,204	$44,338	+$555K
102	University of Mary Washington	VA	60	$61,247	$20,667†	+$530K
103	University of Houston-Clear Lake	TX	60	$52,160	$15,563†	+$459K
104	The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	60	$51,443	$13,951†	+$459K
105	Montclair State University	NJ	60	$50,810	$15,566†	+$446K
106	University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	60	$49,949	$22,811†	+$408K
107	Texas Woman's University	TX	60	$48,927	$11,963†	+$441K
108	Bridgewater State University	MA	60	$48,457	$16,383†	+$419K
109	Michigan State University	MI	60	$47,951	$19,680†	+$401K
110	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	60	$47,835	$21,279†	+$393K
111	The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	60	$43,127	$10,836†	+$388K
112	CUNY Lehman College	NY	60	$40,886	$3,148†	+$396K
113	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	60	$38,449	$12,548†	+$334K
114	Tufts University	MA	59	$110,512	$39,998	+$945K
115	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	59	$55,731	$24,953†	+$457K
116	Stockton University	NJ	59	$53,915	$20,670†	+$456K
117	Illinois State University	IL	59	$52,597	$19,398†	+$448K
118	Texas State University	TX	59	$49,708	$16,805†	+$430K
119	Westfield State University	MA	59	$47,922	$16,721†	+$412K
120	University of North Georgia	GA	59	$45,533	$9,823†	+$416K
121	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	59	$43,225	$17,747†	+$361K
122	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	59	$42,682	$22,383†	+$337K
123	Macalester College	MN	58	$57,166	$32,149	+$443K
124	Whitworth University	WA	58	$51,950	$26,534	+$413K
125	University of Central Florida	FL	58	$51,315	$10,411†	+$472K
126	The College of New Jersey	NJ	58	$50,762	$27,646†	+$397K
127	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	WI	58	$50,285	$14,158†	+$446K
128	Florida International University	FL	58	$49,507	$9,288†	+$458K
129	SUNY College at Geneseo	NY	58	$43,803	$18,211†	+$365K
130	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	58	$42,740	$15,435†	+$366K
131	The University of Texas at El Paso	TX	58	$42,424	$9,403†	+$387K
132	University of Houston-Downtown	TX	57	$49,496	$10,542†	+$453K
133	Middle Tennessee State University	TN	57	$45,184	$13,359†	+$398K
134	Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	57	$44,263	$15,699†	+$380K
135	University of South Florida	FL	57	$43,011	$9,812†	+$391K
136	University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	57	$40,798	$17,890†	+$336K
137	California State University-Northridge	CA	57	$38,598	$7,021†	+$358K
138	University of Connecticut	CT	56	$53,284	$25,097†	+$432K
139	Monmouth University	NJ	56	$51,980	$30,988	+$396K
140	Sam Houston State University	TX	56	$48,114	$16,404†	+$416K
141	University at Buffalo	NY	56	$46,016	$20,995†	+$376K
142	Indiana University-Indianapolis	IN	56	$45,397	$11,668†	+$407K
143	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus	OR	56	$45,204	$18,048†	+$380K
144	California State University-Fullerton	CA	56	$44,903	$6,555†	+$423K
145	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	56	$44,136	$19,151†	+$365K
146	William Paterson University of New Jersey	NJ	56	$42,187	$18,745†	+$347K
147	Florida Atlantic University	FL	56	$41,866	$8,752†	+$384K
148	The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	55	$58,238	$18,267†	+$509K
149	Kent State University at Kent	OH	55	$54,367	$20,787†	+$461K
150	Rowan University	NJ	55	$50,698	$22,408†	+$417K
151	Rice University	TX	55	$50,286	$13,370	+$449K
152	University of North Florida	FL	55	$46,176	$10,154†	+$421K
153	The University of Alabama	AL	55	$44,857	$22,420†	+$359K
154	Georgia State University	GA	55	$43,315	$15,931†	+$369K
155	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	55	$41,176	$25,346†	+$310K
156	Kean University	NJ	55	$40,235	$12,447†	+$353K
157	Portland State University	OR	55	$37,427	$9,552†	+$336K
158	Temple University	PA	54	$59,167	$28,198†	+$479K
159	Williams College	MA	54	$55,193	$17,716	+$481K
160	Vassar College	NY	54	$52,085	$39,343	+$363K
161	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania	PA	54	$48,828	$18,134†	+$416K
162	Marquette University	WI	54	$47,141	$31,487	+$345K
163	Oregon State University	OR	54	$45,204	$19,604†	+$374K
164	University of Northern Colorado	CO	54	$44,668	$17,760†	+$376K
165	Cleveland State University	OH	54	$41,164	$14,764†	+$353K
166	Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	53	$49,387	$14,600†	+$435K
167	Texas Tech University	TX	53	$45,476	$19,070†	+$378K
168	Sonoma State University	CA	53	$38,699	$12,885†	+$335K
169	Bentley University	MA	52	$74,737	$37,930	+$596K
170	University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	52	$56,132	$20,268†	+$480K
171	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania	PA	52	$48,772	$23,726†	+$393K
172	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	52	$45,771	$21,315†	+$372K
173	University at Albany	NY	52	$45,744	$17,167†	+$389K
174	Grand Valley State University	MI	52	$45,349	$16,317†	+$388K
175	University of Arkansas	AR	52	$41,409	$18,209†	+$341K
176	University of Hawaii at Manoa	HI	52	$39,963	$15,664†	+$337K
177	Stony Brook University	NY	52	$36,784	$18,784†	+$293K
178	Southern New Hampshire University	NH	51	$51,396	$36,708	+$367K
179	Duquesne University	PA	51	$49,314	$37,730	+$342K
180	University of Utah	UT	51	$48,842	$16,200†	+$424K
181	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	OH	51	$46,678	$24,022†	+$371K
182	South Dakota State University	SD	51	$46,520	$19,841†	+$386K
183	Eastern Connecticut State University	CT	51	$45,858	$21,067†	+$374K
184	Appalachian State University	NC	51	$40,856	$16,836†	+$341K
185	California State University-Chico	CA	51	$38,212	$14,480†	+$324K
186	CUNY Queens College	NY	51	$31,747	$4,195†	+$301K
187	Trinity College	CT	50	$63,076	$34,832	+$491K
188	Augsburg University	MN	50	$54,387	$23,873	+$448K
189	Pomona College	CA	50	$50,712	$19,285	+$430K
190	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	WI	50	$46,041	$14,559†	+$402K
191	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown	PA	50	$37,937	$18,202†	+$307K
192	CUNY Brooklyn College	NY	50	$29,957	$3,103†	+$287K
193	University of Kansas	KS	49	$48,726	$18,059†	+$415K
194	Millersville University of Pennsylvania	PA	49	$48,724	$20,787†	+$404K
195	Mississippi State University	MS	49	$48,084	$17,595†	+$410K
196	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania	PA	49	$47,277	$19,608†	+$394K
197	University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	49	$46,130	$18,749†	+$386K
198	Purdue University Fort Wayne	IN	49	$43,893	$13,171†	+$386K
199	Pennsylvania Western University	PA	49	$43,105	$18,256†	+$358K
200	University of Northern Iowa	IA	49	$42,729	$15,901†	+$364K
201	Assumption University	MA	49	$41,695	$29,498	+$299K
202	California State University-Los Angeles	CA	49	$37,845	$3,967†	+$363K
203	Seattle University	WA	48	$57,551	$34,662	+$437K
204	Saint Norbert College	WI	48	$52,644	$26,172	+$422K
205	Carthage College	WI	48	$52,593	$26,565	+$420K
206	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	48	$46,943	$17,447†	+$400K
207	Worcester State University	MA	48	$43,169	$13,381†	+$378K
208	Tulane University of Louisiana	LA	47	$55,916	$39,949	+$399K
209	McKendree University	IL	47	$51,157	$24,717	+$413K
210	Rider University	NJ	47	$50,478	$24,792	+$406K
211	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	47	$44,639	$15,489†	+$384K
212	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	47	$42,475	$13,530†	+$371K
213	East Carolina University	NC	47	$40,888	$15,739†	+$346K
214	California State University-Stanislaus	CA	47	$37,292	$6,067†	+$349K
215	Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	47	$36,114	$12,568†	+$311K
216	California State University-San Bernardino	CA	47	$29,219	$4,564†	+$274K
217	Syracuse University	NY	46	$53,223	$38,793	+$377K
218	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	OH	46	$48,914	$25,648†	+$387K
219	California State University-Sacramento	CA	46	$30,851	$9,338†	+$271K
220	Miami University-Oxford	OH	45	$49,541	$28,384†	+$382K
221	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	45	$43,585	$17,303†	+$367K
222	University of Kentucky	KY	45	$39,211	$18,851†	+$317K
223	California State University-Dominguez Hills	CA	45	$37,568	$8,615†	+$341K
224	Georgia Southern University	GA	45	$35,511	$15,267†	+$294K
225	California State University-Long Beach	CA	45	$32,162	$10,440†	+$280K
226	University of Vermont	VT	45	$30,408	$19,343†	+$227K
227	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	45	$29,697	$11,531†	+$251K
228	Providence College	RI	44	$50,697	$48,523	+$313K
229	Ursinus College	PA	44	$47,918	$30,536	+$357K
230	College of Staten Island CUNY	NY	44	$35,307	$5,579†	+$331K
231	Kansas State University	KS	43	$43,067	$19,406†	+$353K
232	University of Puget Sound	WA	43	$37,610	$38,394	+$223K
233	Montana State University	MT	43	$34,475	$22,499†	+$255K
234	Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	42	$43,784	$23,433†	+$344K
235	University of Central Arkansas	AR	42	$40,993	$16,511†	+$344K
236	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	42	$40,531	$15,300†	+$344K
237	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	42	$37,937	$30,434†	+$258K
238	St. Joseph's University-New York	NY	42	$34,531	$19,035	+$269K
239	Baylor University	TX	41	$45,195	$41,104	+$288K
240	Wright State University-Main Campus	OH	41	$39,950	$15,415†	+$338K
241	SUNY Oneonta	NY	41	$31,916	$19,158†	+$243K
242	University of Missouri-St Louis	MO	41	$31,856	$15,071†	+$258K
243	University of California-Davis	CA	41	$29,300	$14,741†	+$234K
244	University of California-Riverside	CA	41	$27,227	$14,304†	+$215K
245	University of Oregon	OR	41	$25,241	$22,182†	+$164K
246	Western Washington University	WA	41	$22,953	$21,193†	+$145K
247	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	40	$39,043	$18,976†	+$315K
248	University of North Carolina Asheville	NC	40	$33,651	$12,250†	+$288K
249	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	NC	39	$24,619	$10,965†	+$202K
250	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	37	$34,624	$10,359†	+$305K
251	California State University-Channel Islands	CA	37	$34,118	$9,849†	+$302K
252	University of Colorado Colorado Springs	CO	36	$37,197	$15,788†	+$309K
253	New Jersey City University	NJ	35	$30,605	$16,053†	+$242K
254	Morehead State University	KY	35	$24,257	$9,793†	+$203K
255	Western Carolina University	NC	34	$34,802	$13,315†	+$295K
256	Troy University	AL	34	$31,339	$16,527†	+$247K
257	Arkansas State University	AR	33	$32,625	$12,366†	+$277K
258	State University of New York at Cortland	NY	27	$32,451	$22,345†	+$235K

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

Massachusetts Institute of Technology claims the #1 spot for a reason that surprises no one: it is the undisputed heavyweight champion of quantitative talent. MIT’s math graduates (famously known on campus as "Course 18") are aggressively hunted by quantitative trading firms like Jane Street and Citadel, as well as top-tier AI labs. Because MIT meets full financial need, lower- and middle-income students pay a fraction of the sticker price to access one of the highest-paying employer pipelines on the planet. The same dynamic drives the University of Chicago into the #3 spot, leveraging its historic ties to Chicago's massive proprietary trading industry.

But the real story is Bowdoin College sitting comfortably at #4, beating out massive STEM powerhouses like Michigan and Cornell. How does a small liberal arts college in Maine dominate a math ranking? The answer is a lethal combination of zero-loan financial aid that keeps the net price rock-bottom, and a fiercely loyal alumni network that funnels sharp quantitative graduates directly into Boston and New York finance roles.

Further down the board, you'll see unsung heroes heavily outperforming their prestige, like the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC). These schools rank highly because they offer an unusually cheap route to a six-figure job. NJIT feeds directly into the New York City financial tech sector without the Ivy price tag, while UMBC leverages its geographic proximity to maintain a legendary hiring pipeline to the NSA, NASA, and defense contractors in the Washington D.C. corridor.

What is Mathematics?

Mathematics is the underlying architecture of the modern economy, training students to solve complex, abstract problems using logic and quantitative reasoning. Day-to-day, modern math graduates aren't just solving equations on a chalkboard; they are building predictive algorithms for tech giants, pricing risk for Wall Street hedge funds, and optimizing supply chain networks for global retailers.

Frequently asked questions

Should I study pure math or applied math?

Applied math is generally the faster route to an industry job, as it bakes in programming, statistics, and mathematical modeling. Pure math is excellent if you are targeting graduate school, academia, or cryptography, but you will likely need to teach yourself how to code to compete for entry-level tech and corporate roles.

Do I need a double major to be employable?

You don't absolutely need one, but pairing mathematics with computer science, economics, or finance is the ultimate collegiate cheat code. Employers love the rigorous logic and problem-solving stamina of a math major, but they need you to know how to apply those traits using Python, R, or SQL. A strategic minor or double major bridges that gap perfectly.

Why are there so many liberal arts colleges on this list?

Schools like Bowdoin, Amherst, and Swarthmore rank highly because they have massive endowments that drive down the net price for students, combined with elite reputations that attract top-tier employers. A math degree from a top liberal arts college signals intense analytical ability to management consulting firms and investment banks, proving you can both crunch the numbers and communicate the results.