Below is a college cost ranking of the 656 public colleges in the United States with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in the United States? Athens State University tops the list with a tuition and fee total of $0. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.
Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in the United States list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2022-2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.
School | Tuition In State | |
---|---|---|
![]() |
Olympic CollegeBremerton, WA |
$4,202 |
![]() |
Peninsula CollegePort Angeles, WA |
$4,439 |
![]() |
Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC |
$4,453 |
![]() |
Georgia Gwinnett CollegeLawrenceville, GA |
$4,458 |
![]() |
South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX |
$4,230 |
![]() |
Madison Area Technical CollegeMadison, WI |
$4,607 |
![]() |
Midland CollegeMidland, TX |
$2,970 |
![]() |
Lake Washington Institute of TechnologyKirkland, WA |
$4,710 |
![]() |
Potomac State College of West Virginia UniversityKeyser, WV |
$4,752 |
![]() |
Seattle Community College South CampusSeattle, WA |
$4,865 |
![]() |
Seattle Community College Central CampusSeattle, WA |
$4,865 |
![]() |
Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL |
$4,879 |
![]() |
Florida Polytechnic UniversityLakeland, Florida |
$4,940 |
![]() |
Colorado Mountain CollegeGlenwood Springs, CO |
$2,580 |
![]() |
Georgia Southwestern State UniversityAmericus, GA |
$4,980 |
![]() |
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA |
$4,995 |
![]() |
Northern New Mexico CollegeEspanola, NM |
$5,064 |
![]() |
Clayton State UniversityMorrow, GA |
$5,068 |