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.
Clark University
- Private 4 Year
- Worcester, MA
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| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Clark is a private university known for undergraduate psychology and geography. The compact urban campus sits in Worcester, west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1288-1460
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $33,865
Springfield College
- Private 4 Year
- Springfield, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Springfield College is a private college known for undergraduate physical education, exercise science, and health sciences. Basketball was invented on its campus, and the school keeps a long focus on sport and human services.
- SAT Range 1080-1330
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $30,039
University of Michigan Dearborn
- Public 4 Year
- Dearborn, MI
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Michigan-Dearborn is a public university known for undergraduate engineering and computer science. The suburban campus sits in Dearborn in the Detroit metro area.
- SAT Range 990-1255
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $11,521
College of Saint Benedict
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Joseph, MN
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| 0 reviews
College of Saint Benedict is a private Catholic women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing. Students share classes and many programs with men from nearby Saint John's University under a coordinate college system.
- SAT Range 1048-1233
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $28,400
Saint Johns University
- Private 4 Year
- Collegeville, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Saint John's is a private Benedictine men's college known for undergraduate liberal arts. The wooded Collegeville campus centers on a historic abbey and shares academics with the nearby College of Saint Benedict.
- SAT Range 941-1228
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $28,504
Mississippi State University
- Public 4 Year
- Mississippi State, MS
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Mississippi State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and architecture. Starkville is a college town centered on the campus.
- SAT Range 1100-1350
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,478
University of Missouri Kansas City
- Public 4 Year
- Kansas City, MO
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| 0 reviews
- Jun 15 application deadline
UMKC is a public university known for its Conservatory and undergraduate programs in music, pharmacy, and business. The urban campus sits in Kansas City.
- SAT Range 1290-1550
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $14,748
Nebraska Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Lincoln, NE
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Nebraska Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Lincoln.
- SAT Range 1020-1290
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $21,122
Caldwell University
- Private 4 Year
- Caldwell, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
Caldwell is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The suburban campus in northern New Jersey has Dominican roots and a primarily residential feel.
- SAT Range 1130-1370
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $21,875
Canisius University
- Private 4 Year
- Buffalo, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Canisius is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and education. The urban campus is located in Buffalo.
- SAT Range 1050-1320
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $19,666
CUNY Queens College
- Public 4 Year
- Queens, NY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Queens College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate music through the Aaron Copland School of Music and for education. The tree-lined campus is in Flushing, Queens.
- SAT Range 1010-1290
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $5,728
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Private 4 Year
- Troy, NY
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
RPI is a private technological university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and architecture. The hillside campus overlooks the Hudson River in Troy.
- SAT Range 1375-1510
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $38,887
Binghamton University
- Public 4 Year
- Vestal, NY
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Binghamton is a selective public university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and engineering. The wooded hillside campus in Vestal sits above the Susquehanna River valley in New York's Southern Tier.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $18,877
University at Buffalo
- Public 4 Year
- Buffalo, NY
-
3.4 | 8 reviews
University at Buffalo is a large public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, engineering, and architecture. Most undergrads are based on the suburban North Campus in Amherst.
- SAT Range 1210-1380
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $20,529
Wagner College
- Private 4 Year
- Staten Island, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Wagner is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing, theater, and business. The hilltop campus on Staten Island overlooks New York Harbor.
- SAT Range 1190-1290
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $28,033
Meredith College
- Private 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Meredith is a private women's college known for undergraduate business, education, and design. The residential campus sits in Raleigh near the state's government district.
- SAT Range 1098-1348
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $24,323
Wittenberg University
- Private 4 Year
- Springfield, OH
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Wittenberg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, biology, and business. The residential campus in Springfield has longstanding Lutheran ties.
- SAT Range 980-1275
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $23,537
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Norman, OK
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
OU is a large public university known for undergraduate meteorology and petroleum engineering. Norman is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $18,574