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.
Westminster College
- Private 4 Year
- New Wilmington, PA
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| 0 reviews
Westminster is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, business, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in the small college town of New Wilmington.
- SAT Range 1040-1258
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $20,394
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, SC
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| 0 reviews
The Citadel is a public military college known for undergraduate engineering, business, and criminal justice. Most undergrads join the Corps of Cadets and live in barracks under a structured military system on the historic Charleston campus.
- SAT Range 1085-1285
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 23%
- Net Price $22,124
Southwestern University
- Private 4 Year
- Georgetown, TX
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4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Southwestern is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate study in the arts and sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in historic Georgetown, north of Austin.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $32,228
California State University Long Beach
- Public 4 Year
- Long Beach, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
Cal State Long Beach is a large public university known for undergraduate art and design, nursing, and business. The campus sits near the Pacific coast in the Los Angeles metro area.
- SAT Range 1020-1240
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $10,607
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Denver, CO
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3.0 | 5 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
CU Denver is a public university known for undergraduate architecture, business, and engineering. The urban campuses include downtown Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
- SAT Range 980-1220
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $14,831
Connecticut College
- Private 4 Year
- New London, CT
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4.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and international relations. Much of the campus sits within a large arboretum overlooking the Thames River.
- SAT Range 1350-1500
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $45,700
University of Central Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Orlando, FL
-
4.2 | 6 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
UCF is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management, aerospace engineering, and digital media. The large suburban campus sits in east Orlando near the region's tourism industry.
- SAT Range 1200-1350
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $13,351
Brandeis University
- Private 4 Year
- Waltham, MA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Brandeis is a private university known for undergraduate neuroscience, biology, and the social sciences. The suburban campus in Waltham sits just west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1390-1520
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $43,550
University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Public 4 Year
- Amherst, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
UMass Amherst is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, business, and engineering. Students can cross-register at nearby colleges through the Five College Consortium in the Pioneer Valley.
- SAT Range 1310-1500
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $22,948
The College of Saint Scholastica
- Private 4 Year
- Duluth, MN
-
| 0 reviews
St. Scholastica is a private Benedictine college known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The wooded campus overlooks Lake Superior in Duluth.
- SAT Range 1110-1310
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $26,083
Drew University
- Private 4 Year
- Madison, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Drew is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate theater, political science, and the humanities. The forested campus sits in suburban Madison near New York City.
- SAT Range 1103-1338
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $28,425
Ramapo College of New Jersey
- Public 4 Year
- Mahwah, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Ramapo is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communication arts. The wooded suburban campus sits in the Ramapo Mountains foothills near the New York border.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $17,566
Rider University
- Private 4 Year
- Lawrenceville, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
Rider is a private university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and music through Westminster Choir College. The suburban campus is in Lawrenceville near Princeton.
- SAT Range 1100-1320
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $26,506
Adelphi University
- Private 4 Year
- Garden City, NY
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
Adelphi is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, psychology, and the performing arts. The suburban Garden City campus sits on Long Island outside New York City.
- SAT Range 1120-1340
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $31,303
Alfred University
- Private 4 Year
- Alfred, NY
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Alfred is a private university known for undergraduate ceramics, ceramic engineering, and art. The rural campus sits in the small college village of Alfred in western New York.
- SAT Range 1095-1310
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $26,470
Stony Brook University
- Public 4 Year
- Stony Brook, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Stony Brook is a large public university known for undergraduate physics, mathematics, and marine science. The suburban campus sits on Long Island's North Shore.
- SAT Range 1330-1500
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 49%
- Net Price $20,992
SUNY Buffalo State University
- Public 4 Year
- Buffalo, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Buffalo State is a public SUNY university known for undergraduate teacher education, design, and the arts. The urban campus in Buffalo includes the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
- SAT Range 980-1240
- Avg GPA 2.84
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $12,023
SUNY at Fredonia
- Public 4 Year
- Fredonia, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Fredonia is a public university known for undergraduate music, performing arts, and education. The residential campus sits in a small college town in western New York near Lake Erie.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $16,023