Northwestern University’s ROI is lower due to the substantial number of theater related earnings / incomes included in the measurement. Subtract out the theater grads and the ROI at Northwestern should increase dramatically.
Also, @Uchiparent25 asks: “What does this say about the state of liberal arts education, I wonder?”
An interesting school, St. Lawrence University located in extreme upstate New York, addresses this concern in an attractive manner by offering 3 new majors in finance, data science, & business that require students to double major with at a liberal arts major. St. Lawrence awards a lot of partial scholarships based on merit. A lot. Strongly encourages students to study a foreign language & offers several study abroad options.
Nevertheless, I do not recommend this school unless one craves the outdoors & is willing to tolerate cold weather. Very athletically oriented school. Has an active social scene that involves alcohol. D-1 ice hockey & D-3 for all other sports.