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.
Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Rolla, MO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Missouri S&T is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the college town of Rolla.
- SAT Range 1190-1420
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $17,366
Bard College
- Private 4 Year
- Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Bard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, music, and literature. The campus overlooks the Hudson River in New York's Hudson Valley.
- SAT Range 1270-1450
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 52%
- Net Price $29,320
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Baruch is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate business, finance, and accounting. The compact urban campus sits in Midtown Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1100-1400
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $4,326
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Public 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
NC State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and textiles. The campus sits in Raleigh within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 1300-1470
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $15,522
University of Portland
- Private 4 Year
- Portland, OR
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
University of Portland is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and business. The campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River in North Portland.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $30,985
Furman University
- Private 4 Year
- Greenville, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Furman is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate biology, political science, and business. The residential campus centers on a lake just outside Greenville.
- SAT Range 1260-1430
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $34,086
Rhodes College
- Private 4 Year
- Memphis, TN
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Rhodes is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology and international studies. The collegiate Gothic campus sits in a wooded residential section of Memphis.
- SAT Range 1300-1486
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Acceptance Rate 50%
- Net Price $31,037
University of Vermont
- Public 4 Year
- Burlington, VT
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
UVM is a public university known for undergraduate environmental science, natural resources, and nursing. The hillside campus overlooks Lake Champlain in Burlington.
- SAT Range 1290-1440
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $20,084
Lawrence University
- Private 4 Year
- Appleton, WI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Lawrence is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music through its Conservatory of Music. The residential campus sits along the Fox River in Appleton.
- SAT Range 1200-1420
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $27,161
University of California Santa Cruz
- Public 4 Year
- Santa Cruz, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Santa Cruz is a public university known for undergraduate marine science, environmental studies, and astronomy. The residential-college campus sits among redwood forests overlooking Monterey Bay.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $18,059
University of the Pacific
- Private 4 Year
- Stockton, CA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Pacific is a private university known for its Conservatory of Music and undergraduate programs in business and health sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential Stockton campus in California's Central Valley.
- SAT Range 1183-1480
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $31,670
University of Southern California
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
USC is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate film, communications, and business. The urban Los Angeles campus has a large Greek presence and longstanding ties to the entertainment industry.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 10%
- Net Price $43,412
Colorado College
- Private 4 Year
- Colorado Springs, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Colorado College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and geology. Students take one course at a time under the Block Plan in intensive three-and-a-half-week sessions.
- SAT Range 1230-1460
- Avg GPA 3.98
- Acceptance Rate 18%
- Net Price $36,123
Bradley University
- Private 4 Year
- Peoria, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Bradley is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and health sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Peoria.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $23,787
Saint Mary's College
- Private 4 Year
- Notre Dame, IN
-
3.8 | 5 reviews
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic women's college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The campus adjoins the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.
- SAT Range 1130-1325
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $27,865
Valparaiso University
- Private 4 Year
- Valparaiso, IN
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Valparaiso is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate engineering, meteorology, and nursing. The residential campus sits in a college town in northwest Indiana.
- SAT Range 1060-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $21,766
Drake University
- Private 4 Year
- Des Moines, IA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Drake is a private university known for undergraduate journalism, pharmacy, and business. The campus sits in a residential neighborhood near downtown Des Moines.
- SAT Range 1110-1350
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $29,565
Babson College
- Private 4 Year
- Wellesley, MA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 3 application deadline
Babson is a private college known for undergraduate entrepreneurship and business. The suburban campus is in Wellesley near Boston.
- SAT Range 1390-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 17%
- Net Price $32,019