Colorado School of Mines has been ranked fifth in the nation for return on tuition investment 20 years after graduation in the PayScale 2017 College ROI Report.

PayScale pegged the 20-year net return on investment for Mines graduates at $883,000 by calculating the difference between 20 years of median pay for a bachelor's degree holder and 24 years of media pay for a high school graduate, minus four years of in-state tuition totaling $123,000.

Mines students paying out-of-state tuition of $188,000 over four years can still expect a 20-year net ROI of $818,000, good for 11th in the country.

Mines was topped only by the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Harvey Mudd College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and SUNY - Maritime College in the rankings.

Colorado School of Mines was recently ranked number one in Colorado in value for the second straight year, and 13th in the nation, by financial technology company Smart Asset. A recent study by Business First ranked Mines as the 18th best public college in the country and the best in the state.