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.
Hartwick College
- Private 4 Year
- Oneonta, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Hartwick is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and the sciences. The hillside campus overlooks the college town of Oneonta in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $31,712
St. John's University New York
- Private 4 Year
- Queens, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
St. John's is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and communications. The urban campus is in Queens in New York City.
- SAT Range 1150-1340
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $29,656
East Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenville, NC
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
East Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Greenville, a college town in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $13,755
University of North Carolina Asheville
- Public 4 Year
- Asheville, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNC Asheville is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate environmental studies and the arts. The campus sits in the mountain city of Asheville in the Blue Ridge.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $13,798
The University of Findlay
- Private 4 Year
- Findlay, OH
-
| 0 reviews
Findlay is a private university known for undergraduate equestrian studies, pharmacy, and animal science. The campus is located in the small city of Findlay in northwest Ohio.
- SAT Range 1010-1213
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $27,297
Oklahoma State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Stillwater, OK
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
Oklahoma State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Stillwater is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1040-1250
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $19,561
Cedar Crest College
- Private 4 Year
- Allentown, PA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Cedar Crest is a private women's college known for undergraduate nursing and forensic science. The suburban campus sits in Allentown in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1000-1230
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $23,691
University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
- Public 4 Year
- Johnstown, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Pitt-Johnstown is a public regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh known for undergraduate engineering and nursing. The residential campus sits on a wooded hillside in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands.
- SAT Range 985-1220
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $18,452
Wilkes University
- Private 4 Year
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Wilkes is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and pharmacy. The urban campus is located in Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1020-1250
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $28,511
Tennessee Technological University
- Public 4 Year
- Cookeville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Tennessee Tech is a public university known for undergraduate engineering and technology. The campus sits in the college town of Cookeville on the Cumberland Plateau.
- SAT Range 1048-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $15,336
Abilene Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Abilene, TX
-
3.7 | 6 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
ACU is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, nursing, and business. Most undergrads live on its residential campus in Abilene, a city in West Texas.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $28,760
LeTourneau University
- Private 4 Year
- Longview, TX
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
LeTourneau is a private Christian university known for undergraduate engineering and aviation. The campus is in Longview in East Texas.
- SAT Range 990-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $29,799
The University of Texas at Tyler
- Public 4 Year
- Tyler, TX
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 24 application deadline
UT Tyler is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and engineering. The campus is in the East Texas city of Tyler.
- SAT Range 1010-1200
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $14,476
University of Lynchburg
- Private 4 Year
- Lynchburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Sep 1 application deadline
University of Lynchburg is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Students live on a residential campus in Lynchburg near the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 980-1230
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $23,845
Radford University
- Public 4 Year
- Radford, VA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
Radford is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in a small college town in southwestern Virginia's New River Valley.
- SAT Range 940-1160
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $16,749
Virginia Tech
- Public 4 Year
- Blacksburg, VA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Virginia Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Blacksburg in Virginia's Blue Ridge region.
- SAT Range 1280-1450
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,912
Saint Norbert College
- Private 4 Year
- De Pere, WI
-
| 0 reviews
Saint Norbert is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and communication. It is the only Norbertine college in the United States, with a residential campus along the Fox River.
- SAT Range 1033-1290
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $27,880
Auburn University
- Public 4 Year
- Auburn, AL
-
4.6 | 9 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Auburn is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and agriculture. The residential campus anchors the classic college town of Auburn.
- SAT Range 1260-1390
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $25,242