For the third year in a row, the College of Staten Island has been recognized by Forbes for the value that it brings its students. CSI is one of four CUNY schools that have been named to the magazine’s 25 Colleges with the Highest PayOff list. The designation recognizes, according to Forbes, “a list of the 25 schools that offer students the best returns on their investment—high earnings potential for a relatively low price.”

“We’re honored that Forbes has recognized CSI as one of the nation’s top colleges for return on investment,” said President Dr. Timothy G. Lynch. “This distinction underscores our commitment to delivering accessible, high-quality education that prepares students for success—without the burden of significant debt.” The College of Staten Island enables most students to graduate debt-free while providing strong career pathways and high earning potential.”

Forbes explained the methodology used to find which of the magazine’s Top 500 schools provided the best return on investment, “we looked at each school’s price-to-earnings premium, a calculation by the think tank Third Way that shows the number of years it takes graduates to recoup the net cost (after grants and scholarships are deducted) of their education. And then we looked at the schools’ debt-to-percent-borrowed index, a figure that Forbes created for the top 500 colleges list. It takes into account the percentage of students who take on debt to attend a school, and how much debt those graduates leave with. All of the federal data we used is from the 2023-24 academic year.”

In noting the impressive performance of CUNY schools, Forbes underscored that CUNY “routinely outperforms all other state systems on this list, thanks to bargain basement tuition and a high number of students who commute to school from their family homes, minimizing the number with debt.” Regarding CSI, in particular, the magazine noted that CSI “proves to be another great option for low-income students looking for an education near their homes that will serve them well, or even launch them into careers in the social sciences. The most popular majors among students are psychology, biology, and business.”

Forbes’s ranking joins the College’s many accolades, such as recent honors placing the College among the Fulbright top-producing institutions and The Princeton Review recognizing CSI as a 2025 Top Green College.

By Terry Mares