A Cal Poly education pays dividends for decades, according to the latest PayScale.com ranking of return on investment among the nation’s top colleges and universities.

Cal Poly ties for No. 29 for all institutions nationally in the 2017 rankings, up from No. 32 a year ago, with California residents netting a 20-year return on investment of nearly $680,000, according to the online salary, benefits and compensation information company. Among public colleges nationwide, that ranking was even higher — Cal Poly ranked 17th (for in-state students) and 24th (for out-of-state students) in that category.

Within California, Cal Poly in-state students rank No. 3 among the state’s public institutions, behind only CSU Maritime Academy and UC Berkeley; and No. 6 among all California colleges and universities.

“A Cal Poly education is, quite simply, a good investment for students,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “We see the evidence over and over that our Learn by Doing approach creates professionals who are prepared to succeed and lead in their careers.”

Cal Poly also rated well in several specific majors and career paths. Among computer science majors, the university was rated ninth (in-state) and 14th (out-of-state) for its return on investment, with graduates able to expect more than $900,000 over 20 years. For business majors, the university tied for 11th among all institutions with a $783,000 ROI for California residents.

Meanwhile, graduates in art careers ranked seventh (in-state) and 10th (out-of-state), with 20-year ROIs of $485,000 and $440,000, respectively.