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.

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Public Private 4 Year

  • Private 4 Year
  • University Heights, OH
  • | 0 reviews

John Carroll is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and the sciences. The suburban campus sits in University Heights near Cleveland.

#217 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1180-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.66
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $30,030
Details
Mount St. Joseph University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • | 0 reviews

Mount St. Joseph is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The hilltop campus overlooks the Ohio River on Cincinnati's west side.

#218 Best Value in America 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 930-1140
  • Avg GPA 3.56
  • Acceptance Rate 59%
  • Net Price $17,094
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Ada, OH
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 15 application deadline

Ohio Northern is a private university known for undergraduate pharmacy and engineering. The residential campus anchors the small college town of Ada in northwest Ohio.

#219 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1175-1400
  • Avg GPA 3.78
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $25,941
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • McMinnville, OR
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Linfield is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and wine studies. The residential campus sits in the small college town of McMinnville in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

#220 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1210
  • Avg GPA 3.71
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $29,936
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Lancaster, PA
  • 3.8 | 6 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Franklin and Marshall is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate government and the natural sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in the city of Lancaster.

#221 Best Value in America 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1310-1463
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 28%
  • Net Price $43,987
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Latrobe, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

Saint Vincent is a private Benedictine liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and biology. The campus shares its grounds with Saint Vincent Archabbey in a small western Pennsylvania town.

#222 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1020-1230
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 62%
  • Net Price $23,758
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Selinsgrove, PA
  • | 0 reviews

Susquehanna is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate business and communications. The campus sits along the Susquehanna River in the small town of Selinsgrove.

#223 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.67
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $26,444
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Chester, PA
  • | 0 reviews

Widener is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and business. The Chester campus sits just south of Philadelphia.

#224 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1080-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.46
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $26,778
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Irving, TX
  • 4.2 | 5 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

University of Dallas is a private Catholic university known for a Great Books core curriculum and undergraduate work in philosophy, politics, and the humanities. The suburban campus sits in Irving just outside Dallas.

#225 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1370
  • Avg GPA 3.9
  • Acceptance Rate 53%
  • Net Price $29,209
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • College Station, TX
  • 5.0 | 6 reviews
  • Dec 1 application deadline

Texas A&M is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and business. A large Corps of Cadets gives the College Station campus a long-standing military tradition.

#226 Best Value in America 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1150-1400
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.68
  • Acceptance Rate 57%
  • Net Price $21,437
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Northfield, VT
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews

Norwich is a private senior military college known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and criminal justice. Most undergrads participate in the Corps of Cadets on the rural Northfield campus.

#227 Best Value in America 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $24,496
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Colchester, VT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Saint Michael's is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, biology, and business. The residential campus sits near Burlington and Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont.

#228 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.27
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $27,982
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Seattle, WA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 11 application deadline

Seattle Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The urban campus sits in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.

#229 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.53
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $25,232
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Spokane, WA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Mar 1 application deadline

Whitworth is a private Presbyterian university known for undergraduate education, business, and the sciences. The wooded residential campus sits in north Spokane.

#230 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1090-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.72
  • Acceptance Rate 90%
  • Net Price $27,605
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Coral Gables, FL
  • 4.0 | 14 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

University of Miami is a private university known for undergraduate marine science, business, and communications. The Coral Gables campus has Mediterranean-style buildings set among lakes and tropical landscaping.

#231 Best Value in America 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1320-1480
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 19%
  • Net Price $45,397
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Tampa, FL
  • 4.0 | 4 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

USF is a large public university known for undergraduate public health, business, and engineering. The main campus is a large urban site in Tampa near Tampa Bay.

#232 Best Value in America 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1130-1320
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.64
  • Acceptance Rate 43%
  • Net Price $11,579
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Elmhurst, IL
  • 3.0 | 1 reviews

Elmhurst is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in a residential suburb west of Chicago.

#233 Best Value in America 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 990-1260
  • Avg GPA 3.59
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $24,629
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • New Orleans, LA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 1 application deadline

Xavier University of Louisiana is a private Catholic HBCU known for undergraduate pharmacy, biology, and chemistry. The urban campus sits in New Orleans.

#234 Best Value in America 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 950-1113
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 69%
  • Net Price $17,162
Details