Choosing the right college isn't all about prestige and name recognition.

Business Insider compiled a list of the top 50 underrated colleges nationwide.

We considered reputation and earnings to determine the ranking, using data from US News & World Report and the US Department of Education.

The Missouri University of Science & Technology took the No. 1 spot.

Whether a student is more inclined to learn about artificial intelligence or take up photography, several factors play a role in choosing the right college.

Business Insider has compiled a ranking of the top 50 underrated colleges nationwide by considering two factors: reputation and future earnings. We figured that schools with mediocre or obscure reputations but whose students made high salaries would be underrated.

To determine our ranking, we combined the mutually exclusive sets of Best Universities and Best Liberal Arts Colleges from The US News & World Report's annual college ranking. We pulled data on median earnings for students from each school who were working and not enrolled ten years after starting at the college from the US Department of Education's College Scorecard. You can read the full methodology here.

The Missouri University of Science & Technology took the No. 1 spot. The campus has an atmosphere students described as a less stereotypical Big Bang Theory episode, according to The Princeton Review.

Keep reading to find out the 50 most underrated colleges.