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.
Xavier University
- Private 4 Year
- Cincinnati, OH
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Xavier is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and nursing. The urban campus sits in Cincinnati's North Avondale neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1103-1310
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $33,623
Drexel University
- Private 4 Year
- Philadelphia, PA
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Drexel is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, design, and business. The urban campus is in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1240-1440
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $42,801
Duquesne University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Duquesne is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The urban campus sits on a bluff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh.
- SAT Range 1180-1340
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $37,917
Fisk University
- Private 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Fisk is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate natural sciences and music. The historic urban campus sits in Nashville and is closely tied to the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
- SAT Range 1140-1510
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $18,595
Utah State University
- Public 4 Year
- Logan, UT
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Utah State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, natural resources, and engineering. Logan is a college town in northern Utah's Cache Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $15,788
Harding University
- Private 4 Year
- Searcy, AR
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
Harding is a private Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ and known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. Most students live on the residential campus in the college town of Searcy.
- SAT Range 1050-1290
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $22,806
Ouachita Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Arkadelphia, AR
-
| 0 reviews
Ouachita Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate music, education, and business. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Arkadelphia.
- SAT Range 1070-1280
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $24,532
Chapman University
- Private 4 Year
- Orange, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Chapman is a private university known for undergraduate film, media arts, and performing arts. The suburban campus is in the city of Orange in Southern California's Orange County.
- SAT Range 1260-1440
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $47,902
University of San Francisco
- Private 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
USF is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and international studies. The urban campus sits beside Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
- SAT Range 1190-1390
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $45,443
DePaul University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
3.3 | 3 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
DePaul is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, film, and theater. Its urban campuses sit in Chicago's Lincoln Park and Loop neighborhoods.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $34,135
Western Illinois University
- Public 4 Year
- Macomb, IL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Western Illinois is a public university known for undergraduate criminal justice, education, and agriculture. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Macomb.
- SAT Range 880-1090
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $14,208
Towson University
- Public 4 Year
- Towson, MD
-
3.8 | 4 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Towson is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and communications. The suburban campus sits just north of Baltimore.
- SAT Range 950-1235
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $16,653
Bentley University
- Private 4 Year
- Waltham, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Bentley is a private university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and finance. The suburban campus sits in Waltham just west of Boston.
- SAT Range 1280-1430
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $45,802
University of Massachusetts Boston
- Public 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UMass Boston is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and environmental science. The urban waterfront campus sits on Columbia Point along Boston Harbor.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.35
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $17,768
Michigan State University
- Public 4 Year
- East Lansing, MI
-
4.5 | 6 reviews
Michigan State is a large public university known for undergraduate supply chain management, education, and agriculture. The campus spreads across the college town of East Lansing with the Red Cedar River running through it.
- SAT Range 1180-1360
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $23,657
Wayne State University
- Public 4 Year
- Detroit, MI
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Wayne State is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, pharmacy, and business. The urban campus is in Midtown Detroit near the city's cultural district.
- SAT Range 1060-1270
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $14,416
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
- Private 4 Year
- Omaha, NE
-
| 0 reviews
Nebraska Methodist College is a private college known for undergraduate nursing and allied health programs. The urban Omaha campus is affiliated with Methodist Health System.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $21,634
Saint Anselm College
- Private 4 Year
- Manchester, NH
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Saint Anselm is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate politics and nursing. The Benedictine campus in Manchester has long hosted New Hampshire presidential primary debates.
- SAT Range 1110-1278
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $35,551