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.
Jacksonville University
- Private 4 Year
- Jacksonville, FL
-
| 0 reviews
Jacksonville University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, aviation, and marine science. The campus sits along the St. Johns River.
- SAT Range 1100-1280
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $24,238
The College of Idaho
- Private 4 Year
- Caldwell, ID
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
The College of Idaho is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and a PEAK curriculum that pairs a major with three minors. The residential campus sits in the small city of Caldwell west of Boise.
- SAT Range 1070-1280
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 49%
- Net Price $21,686
North Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Naperville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
North Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in suburban Naperville, west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1055-1310
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $23,276
Wheaton College
- Private 4 Year
- Wheaton, IL
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Wheaton is a private evangelical Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in a western suburb of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1260-1470
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $31,356
Hanover College
- Private 4 Year
- Hanover, IN
-
0.0 | 1 reviews
Hanover is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, business, and psychology. The campus overlooks the Ohio River from wooded bluffs in a small southern Indiana town.
- SAT Range 1110-1280
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $23,683
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion
- Private 4 Year
- Marion, IN
-
| 0 reviews
Indiana Wesleyan is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry. The residential campus in Marion is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.
- SAT Range 960-1180
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $23,402
University of Louisville
- Public 4 Year
- Louisville, KY
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UofL is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and business. Most undergraduates study on the urban Belknap Campus in Louisville.
- SAT Range 1040-1270
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $19,785
Loyola University Maryland
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Loyola Maryland is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and communications. The wooded residential campus sits in a northern Baltimore neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1200-1370
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $32,846
Augsburg University
- Private 4 Year
- Minneapolis, MN
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Augsburg is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and social work. The urban campus is in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1188-1376
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.27
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $24,561
Macalester College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Paul, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Macalester is a selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies, political science, and economics. The urban campus sits in Saint Paul within the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range 1350-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $40,225
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Public 4 Year
- Minneapolis, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Minnesota is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and biological sciences. The Twin Cities campus spans Minneapolis and St. Paul along the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 1300-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $17,209
Rockhurst University
- Private 4 Year
- Kansas City, MO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 30 application deadline
Rockhurst is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and health sciences. The compact urban campus sits in Kansas City's Volker neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1116-1246
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $25,787
Creighton University
- Private 4 Year
- Omaha, NE
-
| 0 reviews
Creighton is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The compact urban campus sits in midtown Omaha.
- SAT Range 1243-1428
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $32,636
CUNY Brooklyn College
- Public 4 Year
- Brooklyn, NY
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Brooklyn College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate education, the liberal arts, and performing arts. The Georgian-style campus sits on a tree-lined quadrangle in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood.
- SAT Range 950-1340
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $4,512
Le Moyne College
- Private 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Le Moyne is a private Jesuit college known for undergraduate nursing, business, and biology. The suburban campus sits just outside downtown Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $23,702
St. Joseph's University New York
- Private 4 Year
- Brooklyn, NY
-
| 0 reviews
St. Joseph's New York is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The urban campus is in Brooklyn.
- SAT Range 1110-1270
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $19,422
Union College
- Private 4 Year
- Schenectady, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Union is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering alongside the sciences and social sciences. Most students belong to Minerva Houses that organize dining and campus social life.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $42,137
Catawba College
- Private 4 Year
- Salisbury, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Catawba is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental science and ecology. The residential campus sits in Salisbury in North Carolina's Piedmont region.
- SAT Range 1030-1300
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $18,447