File this story under “News You Can Use.”

Here in the United States, education comes at a price. As the cost of education climbs and climbs, loans have become increasingly necessary for students interested in pursuing higher education.

As a result, the national student debt currently stands at a whopping 1.2 trillion dollars. This being the case, many people have started to choose their degrees based off of their ROI, or return on investment.

Students have started to take less heed of what they actually want to do or where they want to go, in favor of picking and achieving degrees that promise them the best payoff in the long run, a fact which underscores a major problem with our education system. The value of education is falling as money becomes the major determining factor for many students.

While it is understandable that, of course, the final payoff of your degree should play a role in your college and major choice, it’s a pity that it has become the primary one. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, we almost no choice but to care about the ultimate payoff of our degrees.

Here are the top 5.

1. Stanford University – Stanford, California
Degree: Computer Science
ROI: $1.7 million

2. Harvey Mudd College – Claremont, California
Degree: Computer Science
ROI: $1.1 million

3. Texas A&M University – College Station, Texas
Degree: Political Science
ROI: $600, 000

4. Columbia University – New York, New York
Degree: Arts
ROI: $478,000

5. Montclair State University – Montclair, New Jersey
Degree: Education
ROI: $189,000