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.
St. John Fisher University
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
St. John Fisher is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The suburban campus sits in the Rochester area of western New York.
- SAT Range 1120-1300
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $30,540
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- Public 4 Year
- Utica, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
SUNY Poly is a public polytechnic institute known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity. The Utica-area campus sits in Central New York.
- SAT Range 1025-1370
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $14,782
State University of New York at New Paltz
- Public 4 Year
- New Paltz, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
SUNY New Paltz is a public university known for undergraduate fine arts, graphic design, and education. The campus sits in a Hudson Valley college town near the Shawangunk Mountains.
- SAT Range 1170-1340
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $18,051
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
- Public 4 Year
- Plattsburgh, NY
-
| 0 reviews
SUNY Plattsburgh is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and Canadian studies. The campus sits beside Lake Champlain in northern New York near the Adirondacks.
- SAT Range 1080-1250
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $15,412
Queens University of Charlotte
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 7 application deadline
Queens is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The historic campus sits in Charlotte's Myers Park neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1140-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $31,839
Baldwin Wallace University
- Private 4 Year
- Berea, OH
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Baldwin Wallace is a private university known for undergraduate music through its conservatory, along with business and education. The suburban campus sits in Berea near Cleveland.
- SAT Range 1060-1290
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $27,991
Cedarville University
- Private 4 Year
- Cedarville, OH
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
Cedarville is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and biblical studies. Most undergrads complete required Bible coursework and live on the residential campus in a small Ohio town.
- SAT Range 1130-1360
- Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $27,150
Otterbein University
- Private 4 Year
- Westerville, OH
-
| 0 reviews
Otterbein is a private university known for undergraduate theatre, musical theatre, and nursing. The historic campus sits in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus.
- SAT Range 1035-1260
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $20,457
Lewis & Clark College
- Private 4 Year
- Portland, OR
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Lewis & Clark is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international affairs and environmental studies. The wooded campus sits in the hills of southwest Portland.
- SAT Range 1210-1390
- Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $37,999
Elizabethtown College
- Private 4 Year
- Elizabethtown, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Elizabethtown is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate occupational therapy, business, and education. The residential campus is in a small central Pennsylvania borough and has historic Church of the Brethren ties.
- SAT Range 1105-1310
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $27,760
King's College
- Private 4 Year
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
-
| 0 reviews
King's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and physician assistant studies. The urban campus occupies several blocks in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $23,689
University of Scranton
- Private 4 Year
- Scranton, PA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Scranton is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate health sciences, physical therapy, and business. The compact urban campus sits in downtown Scranton.
- SAT Range 1160-1318
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $34,234
Texas Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Fort Worth, TX
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
TCU is a private university known for undergraduate business and communications. The residential campus sits a few miles from downtown Fort Worth.
- SAT Range 1140-1350
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $41,848
George Mason University
- Public 4 Year
- Fairfax, VA
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
George Mason is a large public university known for undergraduate economics, public policy, and computer science. The suburban Fairfax campus sits near Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $18,823
Roanoke College
- Private 4 Year
- Salem, VA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
Roanoke is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, biology, and psychology. The residential campus sits in Salem at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $26,044
West Virginia University
- Public 4 Year
- Morgantown, WV
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
WVU is a large public university known for undergraduate forensic science, engineering, and journalism. The campus spreads across a hilly college town in Morgantown along the Monongahela River.
- SAT Range 1010-1220
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $15,169
Marquette University
- Private 4 Year
- Milwaukee, WI
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Dec 1 application deadline
Marquette is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The urban campus sits in Milwaukee near Lake Michigan.
- SAT Range 1200-1360
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $34,322
Viterbo University
- Private 4 Year
- La Crosse, WI
-
| 0 reviews
Viterbo is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and performing arts. The campus sits in La Crosse along the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 1040-1380
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $21,933