Best Value Eastern Colleges

There are 284 colleges in the East ranked by value using the same methodology as our national list. Rankings balance academic quality with the net price students typically pay.

Princeton University leads East value rankings for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $15,313. The top value public university is University of Vermont. Also high value: Williams College, Harvard University and Amherst College.

Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.

284 Results
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East Public Private 4 Year

Allegheny College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Meadville, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Allegheny is a private liberal arts college known for requiring a major and minor in different fields and a senior comprehensive project. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Meadville in northwestern Pennsylvania.

#37 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1173-1358
  • Avg GPA 3.53
  • Acceptance Rate 55%
  • Net Price $26,420
Details

Bryn Mawr College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Bryn Mawr, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Bryn Mawr is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, archaeology, and classics. The suburban Main Line campus outside Philadelphia shares courses and resources with nearby Haverford and Swarthmore.

#38 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1280-1510
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
  • Acceptance Rate 29%
  • Net Price $33,221
Details

Lycoming College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Williamsport, PA
  • | 0 reviews

Lycoming is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, archaeology, and business. The residential campus sits in Williamsport along the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania.

#39 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1080-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.57
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $20,492
Details

Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

  • Private 4 Year
  • Norton, MA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Wheaton is a private liberal arts college known for its interdisciplinary Connections curriculum and frequent dual majors. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small town of Norton southeast of Boston.

#40 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1220-1390
  • Avg GPA 3.48
  • Acceptance Rate 68%
  • Net Price $30,701
Details

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.

#41 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1270-1450
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 52%
  • Net Price $29,320
Details

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.

#42 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1400
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 48%
  • Net Price $4,326
Details

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.

#43 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1290-1440
  • Avg GPA 3.75
  • Acceptance Rate 65%
  • Net Price $20,084
Details

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.

#44 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1390-1530
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.79
  • Acceptance Rate 17%
  • Net Price $32,019
Details

St Lawrence University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Canton, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

St. Lawrence is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and international affairs. The residential campus sits in a small college town in northern New York near the Adirondacks.

#45 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1255-1420
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 54%
  • Net Price $33,216
Details

Dickinson College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Carlisle, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Dickinson is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies, foreign languages, and environmental science. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Carlisle in central Pennsylvania.

#46 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1310-1460
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 42%
  • Net Price $38,483
Details

Juniata College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Huntingdon, PA
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Mar 15 application deadline

Juniata is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate natural sciences and its Program of Emphasis, which lets students design individualized majors. The residential campus sits in the small town of Huntingdon along the Juniata River.

#47 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1130-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.81
  • Acceptance Rate 79%
  • Net Price $24,580
Details

Muhlenberg College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Allentown, PA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Muhlenberg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate theater, biology, and media and communication. The residential campus sits in Allentown in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

#48 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1250-1410
  • Avg GPA 3.44
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $34,739
Details

Villanova University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Villanova, PA
  • 5.0 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Villanova is a highly selective private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The suburban campus sits on Philadelphia's Main Line.

#49 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1395-1510
  • Avg GPA 3.87
  • Acceptance Rate 27%
  • Net Price $37,201
Details

Bay Path University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Longmeadow, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Bay Path is a private university known for educating undergraduate women in business, health sciences, and cybersecurity. The residential campus sits in suburban Longmeadow near Springfield.

#50 Best Value in the East 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1010-1210
  • Avg GPA 3.4
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $15,463
Details

College of the Holy Cross

  • Private 4 Year
  • Worcester, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Holy Cross is a highly selective Jesuit liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and history. The hilltop campus overlooks the city of Worcester.

#51 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1240-1410
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 18%
  • Net Price $36,014
Details

Northeastern University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boston, MA
  • 4.7 | 6 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Northeastern is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and health sciences. The urban campus sits in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.

#52 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1440-1540
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
  • Acceptance Rate 5%
  • Net Price $34,207
Details

Rutgers University Camden

  • Public 4 Year
  • Camden, NJ
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews

Rutgers-Camden is a public university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and biology. The urban campus sits across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

#53 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1300
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.23
  • Acceptance Rate 66%
  • Net Price $19,821
Details

Hobart William Smith Colleges

  • Private 4 Year
  • Geneva, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Hobart and William Smith is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and political science. The residential campus overlooks Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region.

#54 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1190-1385
  • Avg GPA 3.55
  • Acceptance Rate 64%
  • Net Price $34,170
Details