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.
Gettysburg College
- Private 4 Year
- Gettysburg, PA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Gettysburg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate history and political science. The campus borders Gettysburg National Military Park and the Civil War battlefield.
- SAT Range 1270-1460
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $32,769
Virginia Military Institute
- Public 4 Year
- Lexington, VA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
VMI is a public military college known for undergraduate engineering and the sciences. All students join the Corps of Cadets and live in barracks under a military regimen on the historic Lexington campus.
- SAT Range 1050-1270
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $18,825
Millikin University
- Private 4 Year
- Decatur, IL
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
Millikin is a private university known for undergraduate music, theatre, and business. The residential campus is in Decatur in central Illinois.
- SAT Range 860-1130
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $22,813
DePauw University
- Private 4 Year
- Greencastle, IN
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
DePauw is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and communication. Most students join the large Greek system on its college-town campus in Greencastle.
- SAT Range 1200-1410
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $31,411
Mount Holyoke College
- Private 4 Year
- South Hadley, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Mount Holyoke is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, international relations, and economics. The South Hadley campus is part of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst.
- SAT Range 1380-1530
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 36%
- Net Price $32,526
Michigan Technological University
- Public 4 Year
- Houghton, MI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Michigan Tech is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and forestry. Students attend campus in the Upper Peninsula town of Houghton near Lake Superior.
- SAT Range 1130-1350
- Avg GPA 3.78
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $16,879
Carnegie Mellon University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Carnegie Mellon is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and drama. The urban campus sits in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 12%
- Net Price $35,552
Lehigh University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Lehigh is a private university known for undergraduate engineering and business. The hillside campus sits on South Mountain overlooking Bethlehem.
- SAT Range 1370-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 26%
- Net Price $34,154
Trinity University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Trinity is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential hilltop campus overlooking downtown San Antonio.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 26%
- Net Price $32,224
William & Mary
- Public 4 Year
- Williamsburg, VA
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 2 application deadline
William & Mary is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate history, government, and international relations. The historic campus adjoins Colonial Williamsburg in a small college town.
- SAT Range 1400-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 34%
- Net Price $19,686
Purdue University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- West Lafayette, IN
-
4.6 | 5 reviews
Purdue is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and computer science. Students live on a large campus in the college town of West Lafayette along the Wabash River.
- SAT Range 1200-1480
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 50%
- Net Price $13,722
University of California Riverside
- Public 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Riverside is a large public university known for undergraduate entomology, plant sciences, and business. The suburban campus lies in California's Inland Empire east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 1080-1280
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $14,562
Georgetown University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
-
4.6 | 5 reviews
Georgetown is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate international relations, government, and business. Students attend a Jesuit campus in a historic hillside neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 1390-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 13%
- Net Price $39,083
Stetson University
- Private 4 Year
- DeLand, FL
-
| 0 reviews
Stetson is a private university known for undergraduate business and music. The historic campus sits in the college town of DeLand in Central Florida.
- SAT Range 1060-1270
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $20,319
University of Illinois Chicago
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UIC is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, architecture, and engineering. The urban campus sits on Chicago's Near West Side near the Illinois Medical District.
- SAT Range 1130-1350
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $10,852
Illinois Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Illinois Tech is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and computer science. The urban Chicago campus is noted for its modernist buildings by Mies van der Rohe.
- SAT Range 1180-1440
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,796
University of Evansville
- Private 4 Year
- Evansville, IN
-
| 0 reviews
University of Evansville is a private university known for undergraduate theatre and engineering. Many undergrads study abroad at Harlaxton College, its campus in a historic English manor.
- SAT Range 1045-1300
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,773
Coe College
- Private 4 Year
- Cedar Rapids, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Coe is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, biology, and business. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Cedar Rapids.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $20,864