Colorado School of Mines may be the most underrated college in the US. Flickr/kenlund There are 10 colleges with an average starting salary above $63,000 for recent graduates. And the colleges may not be the ones you think they are.

While there is no doubt a college degree is incredibly valuable, there can be a massive difference between the cost of the degree and the return on the investment. However, there is a wide gap between some majors, as well as schools, compared with others when it comes to the ability to make the cost worth it.

NerdWallet recently revealed its list of the "Schools With the Highest Reported Salaries Upon Graduation." Unsurprisingly, schools such as Stanford and MIT were at the top of the list. But The Motley Fool decided to examine the news from a different approach. We found the 10 schools that had the biggest gap between the NerdWallet ranking for starting salaries and the popular U.S. News & World Report national university ranking. And the results will stun you.

For example, the top school was ranked 91st, according to U.S. News, but its students on average had a starting salary of more than $65,000 — which placed it 15th in the nation. And there are nine other schools with enormous gaps.

These are the colleges and universities offering the nation's most underrated degrees.

10. New York University, College of Nursing

Starting salary: $79,200

US News ranking: 32

NerdWallet ranking: 5

Difference: 27

9. University of Delaware, College of Engineering

Starting salary: $56,700

US News ranking: 75

NerdWallet ranking: 43

Difference: 27

8. University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering

Starting salary: $60,900

US News ranking: 62

NerdWallet ranking: 30

Difference: 30

7. Purdue University, College of Engineering

Starting salary: $60,000

US News ranking: 68

NerdWallet ranking: 33

Difference: 35

6. Michigan State University, College of Engineering

Starting salary: $59,700

US News ranking: 73

NerdWallet ranking: 35

Difference: 38

5. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Starting salary: $59,600

US News ranking: 91

NerdWallet ranking: 44

Difference: 47

4. University of Alabama, College of Engineering

Starting salary: $60,700

US News ranking: 86

NerdWallet ranking: 31

Difference: 55

3. Texas A&M University, Dwight Look College of Engineering

Starting salary: $69,100

US News ranking: 69

NerdWallet ranking: 7

Difference: 62

2. Stevens Institute of Technology

Starting salary: $63,200

US News ranking: 82

NerdWallet ranking: 19

Difference: 63

1. Colorado School of Mines

Starting salary: $65,800

US News ranking: 91

NerdWallet ranking: 15

Difference: 76