In a new twistFor details, see The Best Colleges for Making Money The result? A unique "payback" ratio for each school. Below, see:

• Top 5 Public Schools
• Top 5 Liberal Arts Schools
• Top 5 Ivy League Schools

Top 5 Public Schools

1. Texas A&M

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation: $49,700

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $47,213

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $96,100

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $18,297

Average Payback: 315%

Comment: Like at most schools, tuition is going up at Texas A&M this year -- but by the lowest level in a decade.

Top 5 Public Schools

2. University of Texas, Austin

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation: $49,700

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $49,876

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $93,900

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $18,360 Average Payback: 306%

Comment: A full 82 percent of the freshmen who applied for need-based aid receive some kind of financial package.*

Top 5 Public Schools

3. Georgia Tech

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation: $58,300

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $59,896

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $106,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $24,684

Average Payback: 263%

Comment: According to Payscale's alumni salary survey, six of the top ten highest-paying college degrees involve engineering. Georgia Tech s engineering school ranks among the top five in the country.***

Top 5 Public Schools

4. University of Georgia

Median Salary: 3 Years After Graduation: $44,100

Out-of-State Degree Cost: (Class of 2005): $54,742

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $86,000

Class of 1993: $21,675

Average Payback: 239%

Comment: At the oldest state-chartered college in the country, the most popular majors are business and marketing, chosen by 20 percent of students.*

Top 5 Public Schools

5. University of Washington

: $48,800

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $62,632

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $85,300

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $22,935

Average Payback: 225%

Comment: Its 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio rivals that of some of the top private schools in our survey.**

Top 5 Liberal Arts Schools

1. Washington and Lee

M

: $53,600

edian Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $89,575

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $104,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $45,350

Average Payback: 145%

Comment: Just more than half of its recent incoming class applied for financial assistance, and about a third were offered at least some aid.*

Top 5 Liberal Arts Schools

2. University of Richmond

: $48,600

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $97,760

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $94,600

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $45,065

Average Payback: 130%

Comment: Only 16 percent of freshmen who attend this liberal arts college hail from Virginia. The rest are out-of-state students. By contrast, most state schools enroll more than 80 percent of their students from in-state.*

Top 5 Liberal Arts Schools

3. Lafayette College

: $53,900

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $106,918

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $107,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $59,320

Average Payback: 115%

Comment: Nearly all of its students -- 98 percent -- live on campus. While its reasonable tuition helped place Lafayette high in our ranking, its annual room and board ($11,200 a year) is on the high end.**

Top 5 Liberal Arts Schools

4. College of the Holy Cross

: $50,200

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $107,380

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $106,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $58,300

Average Payback: 114%

Comment: This selective liberal arts college admits around 30 percent of its applicants annually, compared to an average of 70 percent for all four-year
colleges.*

Top 5 Liberal Arts Schools

5. Bucknell University

: $54,100

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $112,556

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $110,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $60,945

Average Payback: 114%

Comment: Located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Bucknell University boasts a particularly low student-to-faculty ratio: 11-to-1.

Top 5 Ivy League Schools

1. Princeton

: $66,500

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $111,840

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $131,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $64,150

Average Payback: 132%

Comment: Want to get into Princeton? About three-quarters of the school s freshmen class scored over 700 in each of their math, writing and critical writing SATs.**

Top 5 Ivy League Schools

2. Dartmouth College

: $58,000

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $113,943

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $134,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $63,486

Average Payback: 131%

Comment: Though Dartmouth alums earn the highest median salary 15 years after graduation, the school s published tuition rates are among the highest in our ranking.

Top 5 Ivy League Schools

3. Yale University

: $59,100

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $111,450

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $126,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $62,980

Average Payback: 127%

Comment: Of the school s 611 freshmen who were offered need-based aid, the average scholarship or grant totaled more than $32,000.*

Top 5 Ivy League Schools

4. Harvard University

: $63,400

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $113,147

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $124,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $64,324

Average Payback: 124%

Comment: It s the most selective college in our list, with only 9 percent of students now being admitted. But it ranked 25th overall on our payback ranking among the 50 schools we looked at.**

Top 5 Ivy League Schools

5. University of Pennsylvania

$60,900

Median Salary 3 Years After Graduation:

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 2005): $114,652

Median Salary 15 Years After Graduation: $120,000

Out-of-State Degree Cost (Class of 1993): $61,572

Average Payback: 124%

Comment: Quakers graduate to earn some of the best salaries early in their career. But they also carry an average debt load of $18,800.*

Sources:
* College Board
** Peterson s
*** U.S. News & World Report