It’s not a news flash that college costs are reaching the red zone. But a new study shows which schools actually give you the best return on your investment. The study, conducted by PayScale (an online salary info company), was based on 1.4 million college grads who attended more than 850 different colleges.

Here are the study’s top 20 schools – along with their average cost in 2009 and their 30 year ROI:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – cost: $189,300; ROI: $1,688,000
2. California Institute of Technology — cost: $181,100; ROI: $1,644,000
3. Harvard University — cost: $189,600; ROI: $1,631,000
4. Harvey Mudd College — cost: $187,700; ROI: $1, 627,000
5. Dartmouth College — cost: $188,400; ROI: $1,587,000
6. Stanford University — cost: 191,800; ROI: $1,565,000
7. Princeton University — cost: $187,700; ROI: $1,517,000
8. Yale University — cost: $194,200; ROI: $1,392,000
9. University of Notre Dame — cost: $181,900; ROI: $1,384,000
10. University of Pennsylvania — cost: $191,300; ROI: $1,361,000
11. Duke University — cost: $187,600; ROI: $1,319,000
12. Lehigh University — cost: $180,400; ROI: $1,308,000
13. Union College — cost: $186,500; ROI: $1,262,000
14. Amherst College — cost: $188,200; ROI: $1,259,000
15. Worcester Polytechnic Institute — cost: $184,900; ROI: $1,224,000
16. University of California, Berkeley — cost: $118,900; ROI: $1,223,000
17. Carnegie Mellon University — cost: $190,600; ROI: $1,220,000
18. Colgate University — cost: $187,700; ROI: $1,167,000
19. Columbia University — cost: $192,200; ROI: $1,161,000
20. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — cost: $227,300; ROI: $1,158,000

To see more details about the study, click here.

Did they get the list right? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Tags: College costs, college return on investment