This article by Paul Katzeff of Investor’s Business Daily asked the question “Ivies are prestigious but whose alum get best returns on investment?

My daughter is a rising 3rd year at the University of Virginia (at other schools that would be called a ‘Junior’ but Thomas Jefferson believed in life long learning so ‘Senior’ was never an appropriate term in his vocabulary.) I was glad to see her school listed as the second best return on investment.

Get More Bang For College Bucks

Before you spot a single Ivy League or big-name private school, public campuses grab 17 of PayScale’s first 18 spots. Leading is Georgia Tech’s 13.9% return on investment. Next is the University of Virginia’s 13.3%.

An investment in education is nearly always a good investment. Finding the college or university which has the right balance between cost and prestige is investment gold.

Consider also this article on how to get that gold at half price: Community College Can Provide the Best Education and remember that A College Degree is Worth a Million Bucks (or now $1.6M with inflation).

And of course to pay for that education, use a 529 College Savings account.