Mississippi Valley State University

Mississippi Valley State University is one of those schools that’s had the knack of attracting famous people before they were famous—the school is known for its excellent football coaching and marching band prowess and, consequently, has turned out some pretty famous professionals since its opening in 1950. So it’s a little mind-boggling when one takes a minute to look at the numbers…

The financial numbers make one wonder why anyone would accept the risk of attending the university in Itta Bena, Mississippi. While tuition at Mississippi Valley State University isn’t the worst—coming out to “only” $19,000 a year—the return on investment is pretty wince-worthy. At the absolute bottom of PayScale’s list, Mississippi Valley State University students experience an ROI of -$174,800.