WASHINGTON — Whether you’re a student or a parent, choosing a college is a major life decision.
But the value of a school is about more than cost. It’s about potential. While college A could be cheaper, college B could give a graduate a better chance at landing a high-paying job. On the other hand, will it be worth the loans?
On Wednesday, The Brookings Institute, a nonprofit research organization, released a comprehensive assessment of the value for thousands of colleges based on the mid-career salary of alumni, ability to repay federal loans and occupational earning potential.
The assessment included two-year colleges and trade schools as well as four-year colleges. Two out of five postsecondary graduates attend a college offering credentials of two years or less, according to Brookings.
Brookings also says characteristics like race and academic preparation as well as location can play a role.
Below are the top schools for Maryland, Virginia and D.C. ranked by highest mid-career salary, the top score being 100. The scores for those schools in the other categories are also shown.
To see the results for other schools and learn more about how the scores were calculated, click here.
Maryland
| Two-year institutions in Maryland | |||||
| Institution | City | State | Earnings | Earnings power | Loan repayment |
| The Community College of Baltimore County | Baltimore | Md. | 96 | 28 | 68 |
| Allegany College of Maryland | Cumberland | Md. | 94 | 31 | 75 |
| Prince George’s Community College | Largo | Md. | 90 | 84 | 82 |
| Anne Arundel Community College | Arnold | Md. | 72 | 88 | 31 |
| Montgomery College | Rockville | Md. | 17 | 87 | 86 |
| Hair Academy Inc-New Carrollton | New Carrollton | Md. | n/a | n/a | 62 |
| Wor-Wic Community College | Salisbury | Md. | n/a | 10 | 66 |
| Howard Community College | Columbia | Md. | n/a | 71 | 80 |
| Everest Institute-Silver Spring | Silver Spring | Md. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| TESST College of Technology-Beltsville | Beltsville | Md. | n/a | n/a | 45 |
| Four-year institutions in Maryland | |||||
| Institution | City | State | Earnings | Earnings power | Loan repayment |
| Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore | Md. | 95 | 87 | 62 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | Md. | 78 | 95 | 80 |
| Notre Dame of Maryland University | Baltimore | Md. | 67 | 32 | 9 |
| Stevenson University | Stevenson | Md. | 66 | 33 | 42 |
| University of Maryland-University College | Adelphi | Md. | 59 | 96 | 15 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | College Park | Md. | 59 | 89 | 59 |
| University of Maryland-Baltimore County | Baltimore | Md. | 55 | 91 | 49 |
| Towson University | Towson | Md. | 45 | 35 | 53 |
| Salisbury University | Salisbury | Md. | 40 | 21 | 56 |
| Frostburg State University | Frostburg | Md. | 17 | 52 | 34 |
Virginia
| Two-year institutions in Virginia | |||||
| Institution | City | State | Earnings | Earnings power | Loan repayment |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale | Va. | 53 | 83 | 76 |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College | Richmond | Va. | 18 | 53 | 49 |
| John Tyler Community College | Chester | Va. | 10 | 22 | 62 |
| Tidewater Community College | Norfolk | Va. | 1 | 77 | 61 |
| Sanford-Brown College-Tysons Corner | McLean | Va. | n/a | n/a | 6 |
| Miller-Motte Technical College-Roanoke | Roanoke | Va. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Patrick Henry Community College | Martinsville | Va. | n/a | 12 | n/a |
| Everest College-Chesapeake | Chesapeake | Va. | n/a | n/a | 39 |
| Paul D Camp Community College | Franklin | Va. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Richmond School of Health and Technology | Chester | Va. | n/a | n/a | 68 |
| Four-year institutions in Virginia | |||||
| Institution | City | State | Earnings | Earnings power | Loan repayment |
| Washington and Lee University | Lexington | Va. | 100 | 91 | 93 |
| Virginia Military Institute | Lexington | Va. | 99 | 95 | 81 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg | Va. | 91 | 97 | 93 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | Charlottesville | Va. | 86 | 91 | 76 |
| James Madison University | Harrisonburg | Va. | 80 | 53 | 75 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax | Va. | 73 | 82 | 76 |
| College of William and Mary | Williamsburg | Va. | 73 | 74 | 93 |
| University of Richmond | University of Richmond | Va. | 71 | 32 | 95 |
| Hampton University | Hampton | Va. | 54 | 69 | 29 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk | Va. | 52 | 79 | 64 |
District of Columbia
| Two-year institutions in the District of Columbia | |||||
| Institution | City | State | Earnings | Earnings power | Loan repayment |
| National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | 4 |
| Career Technical Institute | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Radians College | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Bennett Career Institute | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | 5 |
| Technical Learning Centers Inc | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Four-year institutions in the District of Columbia | |||||
| Institution | City | State | Earnings | Earnings power | Loan repayment |
| Georgetown University | Washington | D.C. | 80 | 73 | 88 |
| George Washington University | Washington | D.C. | 69 | 90 | 82 |
| Howard University | Washington | D.C. | 66 | 78 | 43 |
| Catholic University of America | Washington | D.C. | 64 | 82 | 69 |
| American University | Washington | D.C. | 40 | 81 | 59 |
| Strayer University-District of Columbia | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Trinity Washington University | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | 11 |
| Wesley Theological Seminary | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of Phoenix-Washington DC Campus | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Corcoran College of Art and Design | Washington | D.C. | n/a | n/a | 40 |
