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.
University of Puget Sound
- Private 4 Year
- Tacoma, WA
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and the natural sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Tacoma near Commencement Bay.
- SAT Range 1170-1380
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $43,188
Concordia University Irvine
- Private 4 Year
- Irvine, CA
-
| 0 reviews
Concordia Irvine is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and theology. The suburban campus sits in Irvine in Orange County.
- SAT Range 1030-1260
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $29,845
Santa Clara University
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Clara, CA
-
4.9 | 14 reviews
- Jan 7 application deadline
Santa Clara is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and engineering. The historic campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1350-1490
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $53,883
University of Saint Joseph
- Private 4 Year
- West Hartford, CT
-
| 0 reviews
University of Saint Joseph is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and pharmacy. Founded as a women's college by the Sisters of Mercy, the West Hartford campus is now fully coeducational.
- SAT Range 850-1170
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $29,300
University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Public 4 Year
- Honolulu, HI
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
UH Manoa is a large public university known for undergraduate marine science, oceanography, and Hawaiian studies. The campus occupies Manoa Valley in Honolulu.
- SAT Range 1081-1293
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $17,202
Illinois State University
- Public 4 Year
- Normal, IL
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Illinois State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Normal, next to Bloomington.
- SAT Range 990-1210
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $21,369
Loyola University Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
Loyola Chicago is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The urban campus sits along Lake Michigan on Chicago's North Side.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $39,147
Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Pella, IA
-
| 0 reviews
Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, education, and study abroad. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in the small college town of Pella.
- SAT Range 1056-1120
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $23,848
Southwestern College
- Private 4 Year
- Winfield, KS
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 22 application deadline
Southwestern College is a small private liberal arts college with undergraduate programs in education and business. Students live on a residential campus in the small town of Winfield, Kansas.
- SAT Range 900-1220
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $29,488
Maryville University of Saint Louis
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Louis, MO
-
3.3 | 3 reviews
Maryville University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, health professions, and business. The suburban campus is in Town and Country in the St. Louis area.
- SAT Range 1000-1230
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $22,983
Southwest Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Bolivar, MO
-
| 0 reviews
Southwest Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry programs. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Bolivar in southwest Missouri.
- SAT Range 810-1210
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $21,336
Monmouth University
- Private 4 Year
- West Long Branch, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Monmouth is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and education. The suburban campus sits a short drive from the Atlantic beaches on the New Jersey shore.
- SAT Range 1140-1310
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $34,072
Fordham University
- Private 4 Year
- Bronx, NY
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Fordham is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, communications, and the liberal arts. The main Rose Hill campus in the Bronx borders the New York Botanical Garden.
- SAT Range 1320-1480
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 59%
- Net Price $48,190
Houghton University
- Private 4 Year
- Houghton, NY
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
Houghton is a private Christian liberal arts university known for undergraduate music and the liberal arts. The rural residential campus sits in a small village in western New York.
- SAT Range 1170-1375
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $21,274
St Bonaventure University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Bonaventure, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 30 application deadline
St. Bonaventure is a private Franciscan university known for undergraduate journalism, communication, and business. The rural campus sits in southwestern New York near Olean.
- SAT Range 1065-1290
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $27,373
University of North Dakota
- Public 4 Year
- Grand Forks, ND
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 17 application deadline
UND is a public university known for undergraduate aviation and aerospace sciences. The campus sits in a college-town setting in Grand Forks near the Minnesota border.
- SAT Range 1110-1290
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $18,076
Walsh University
- Private 4 Year
- North Canton, OH
-
| 0 reviews
Walsh is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The suburban campus sits in North Canton near Canton, Ohio.
- SAT Range 1040-1280
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $23,933
Penn State Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- University Park, PA
-
4.2 | 12 reviews
Penn State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and communications. The University Park campus anchors the college town of State College in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1240-1420
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $27,889