Best Value U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 1045 four-year colleges by value: academic quality from our Best Colleges ranking weighed against the average net price students actually pay. Low sticker price alone does not mean good value. These schools deliver strong outcomes relative to what families pay after financial aid.
Princeton University leads our 2027 value rankings with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $15,313. The top value public university is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also high value: California Institute of Technology, Williams College and Harvard University.
Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the full list below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Filter by state or sort by cost to find affordable schools worth applying to.
Azusa Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Azusa, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
Azusa Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry programs. The suburban campus sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 983-1238
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $26,143
University of La Verne
- Private 4 Year
- La Verne, CA
-
| 0 reviews
University of La Verne is a private university known for undergraduate education, business, and public administration. The suburban campus sits in the San Gabriel foothills east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 986-1236
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $21,530
University of Connecticut
- Public 4 Year
- Storrs, CT
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
UConn is a large public university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. Most students live on the residential campus in the college town of Storrs.
- SAT Range 1210-1440
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 52%
- Net Price $25,310
Gallaudet University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
-
| 0 reviews
Gallaudet is a private university designed for deaf and hard of hearing students, known for undergraduate deaf education, American Sign Language, and interpreting. Students communicate primarily in ASL on the urban Washington, D.C. campus.
- SAT Range 780-1022
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $15,944
Florida State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tallahassee, FL
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
FSU is a large public university known for undergraduate film, criminology, and music. The campus is in Tallahassee, Florida's capital city.
- SAT Range 1270-1410
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 24%
- Net Price $15,815
Lewis University
- Private 4 Year
- Romeoville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
Lewis is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate aviation and nursing. The suburban Romeoville campus includes its own airport used for flight training.
- SAT Range 960-1210
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $18,959
Simpson College
- Private 4 Year
- Indianola, IA
-
2.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Simpson is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, business, and education. The residential campus is in the small college town of Indianola near Des Moines.
- SAT Range 890-1280
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $23,282
Goucher College
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Goucher is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate creative writing, dance, and international studies. Every undergraduate completes a required study abroad experience.
- SAT Range 1090-1325
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $26,913
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Public 4 Year
- Buzzards Bay, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
Mass Maritime is a public maritime academy known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and maritime business. Most students join a regiment of cadets on a campus along the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay.
- SAT Range 1030-1185
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $13,546
College of Our Lady of the Elms
- Private 4 Year
- Chicopee, MA
-
3.5 | 4 reviews
Elms College is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing and education. The small campus is in Chicopee in western Massachusetts.
- SAT Range 1150-1320
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $19,870
Calvin University
- Private 4 Year
- Grand Rapids, MI
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Calvin is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The Grand Rapids campus is rooted in the Reformed tradition of the Christian Reformed Church.
- SAT Range 1083-1330
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $25,231
Hamline University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
2.0 | 2 reviews
Hamline is a private university known for undergraduate education, business, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in a neighborhood setting in Saint Paul within the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range 1133-1391
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $22,390
St Catherine University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
St. Catherine is a private Catholic women's university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Most bachelor's programs enroll women on the urban Saint Paul campus.
- SAT Range 850-1140
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $20,918
University of Mississippi
- Public 4 Year
- University, MS
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
Ole Miss is a large public university known for undergraduate accountancy and business. Oxford is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1000-1200
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $15,045
William Carey University
- Private 4 Year
- Hattiesburg, MS
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
William Carey is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and music. The main campus is in Hattiesburg in southern Mississippi.
- SAT Range 1040-1290
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $15,469
New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Newark, NJ
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
NJIT is a public technological university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and architecture. The urban campus is located in Newark.
- SAT Range 1210-1460
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $17,313
Rutgers University New Brunswick
- Public 4 Year
- New Brunswick, NJ
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
Rutgers is a large public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, engineering, and life sciences. Students take classes across multiple campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway linked by campus buses.
- SAT Range 1310-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $20,522
Rutgers University Newark
- Public 4 Year
- Newark, NJ
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Rutgers-Newark is a public university known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in downtown Newark.
- SAT Range 1030-1270
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $18,276