Forbes magazine has ranked the College of Staten Island as a Top 25 College nationally in Return on Investment, taking into account a school’s price-to-earnings premium, showing the number of years it takes graduates to recoup the net cost of their education.

The analysis puts CSI among the top 5% of Forbes’s Top 500 schools in the category of low-debt education that promises high earnings potential.

Together with higher education think tank Third Way, Forbes also considered “a school’s debt-to-percent-borrowed index, a figure that Forbes created for the top 500 colleges list that takes into account how many students take on debt to attend the school, and how much debt those graduates leave with.”

CSI was one of only nine schools representing New York on the list, a distinction shared with other City University of New York campuses. Of the College, Forbes notes, “Only 9% of students borrow to attend the College of Staten Island, and their median federal loan burden is $8,846. Graduates, including low-income graduates, can recoup their net cost within about a year and a half.”

“The recognition from Forbes is welcome but not unexpected,” said CSI President Dr. Timothy G. Lynch. “We have long been recognized as an institution that provides maximum ‘bang for the buck.’ But if all we are is inexpensive, then all we are is cheap: and we are so much more, providing top-notch academic programs, real-world experience, and other benefits that show we are truly value-added in higher education. This ranking affirms the role that CSI and CUNY play in offering access to transformational educational opportunities that play a huge role in social mobility.” 

Forbes’s ranking is the latest in a long line of citations commending the College as a best-value institution. Forbes has consistently ranked CSI a top college and among its schools with the lowest debt score, while Best Value Schools recently named CSI a top college in its national rankings as well. CollegeNet has recognized CSI among the best schools nationally for social mobility, and recently teachercertification.com ranked CSI No. 1 nationally in teacher earnings post-graduation.

To see the full list of Forbes’s Top 25 colleges offering the best Return on Investment, visit their Website.