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
St. Joseph's University New York Campus
 

St. Joseph's University New York

  • Private 4 Year
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • | 0 reviews

St. Joseph's New York is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The urban campus is in Brooklyn.

#73 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1110-1270
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $19,422
Details

Union College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Schenectady, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Union is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering alongside the sciences and social sciences. Most students belong to Minerva Houses that organize dining and campus social life.

#74 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1310-1480
  • Avg GPA 3.5
  • Acceptance Rate 44%
  • Net Price $42,137
Details

Franklin and Marshall College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Lancaster, PA
  • 3.8 | 6 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Franklin and Marshall is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate government and the natural sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in the city of Lancaster.

#75 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1310-1463
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 28%
  • Net Price $43,987
Details

Saint Vincent College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Latrobe, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

Saint Vincent is a private Benedictine liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and biology. The campus shares its grounds with Saint Vincent Archabbey in a small western Pennsylvania town.

#76 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1020-1230
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 62%
  • Net Price $23,758
Details

Susquehanna University

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

Susquehanna is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate business and communications. The campus sits along the Susquehanna River in the small town of Selinsgrove.

#77 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1300
  • Avg GPA 3.67
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $26,444
Details

Widener University

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

Widener is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and business. The Chester campus sits just south of Philadelphia.

#78 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1080-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.46
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $26,778
Details

Norwich University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Northfield, VT
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews

Norwich is a private senior military college known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and criminal justice. Most undergrads participate in the Corps of Cadets on the rural Northfield campus.

#79 Best Value in the East 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $24,496
Details

Saint Michael's College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Colchester, VT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Saint Michael's is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, biology, and business. The residential campus sits near Burlington and Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont.

#80 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.27
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $27,982
Details

Clark University

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

Clark is a private university known for undergraduate psychology and geography. The compact urban campus sits in Worcester, west of Boston.

#81 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1288-1460
  • Avg GPA 3.69
  • Acceptance Rate 40%
  • Net Price $33,865
Details

Springfield College

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

Springfield College is a private college known for undergraduate physical education, exercise science, and health sciences. Basketball was invented on its campus, and the school keeps a long focus on sport and human services.

#82 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1080-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.56
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $30,039
Details
Caldwell University Campus
 

Caldwell University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Caldwell, NJ
  • | 0 reviews

Caldwell is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The suburban campus in northern New Jersey has Dominican roots and a primarily residential feel.

#83 Best Value in the East 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1130-1370
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $21,875
Details

Canisius University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Buffalo, NY
  • | 0 reviews

Canisius is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and education. The urban campus is located in Buffalo.

#84 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $19,666
Details

CUNY Queens College

  • Public 4 Year
  • Queens, NY
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews

Queens College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate music through the Aaron Copland School of Music and for education. The tree-lined campus is in Flushing, Queens.

#85 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1010-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.0
  • Acceptance Rate 64%
  • Net Price $5,728
Details

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  • Private 4 Year
  • Troy, NY
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

RPI is a private technological university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and architecture. The hillside campus overlooks the Hudson River in Troy.

#86 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1375-1510
  • Avg GPA 3.88
  • Acceptance Rate 63%
  • Net Price $38,887
Details

Binghamton University

  • Public 4 Year
  • Vestal, NY
  • 4.2 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Binghamton is a selective public university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and engineering. The wooded hillside campus in Vestal sits above the Susquehanna River valley in New York's Southern Tier.

#87 Best Value in the East 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1340-1500
  • Avg GPA 4.0
  • Acceptance Rate 39%
  • Net Price $18,877
Details

University at Buffalo

  • Public 4 Year
  • Buffalo, NY
  • 3.4 | 8 reviews

University at Buffalo is a large public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, engineering, and architecture. Most undergrads are based on the suburban North Campus in Amherst.

#88 Best Value in the East 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1210-1380
  • Avg GPA 3.75
  • Acceptance Rate 74%
  • Net Price $20,529
Details

Wagner College

  • Private 4 Year
  • Staten Island, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Wagner is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing, theater, and business. The hilltop campus on Staten Island overlooks New York Harbor.

#89 Best Value in the East 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1190-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.5
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $28,033
Details

La Salle University

  • Private 4 Year
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

La Salle is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business and nursing. The urban campus sits in northwest Philadelphia.

#90 Best Value in the East 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1268
  • Avg GPA 3.44
  • Acceptance Rate 97%
  • Net Price $18,069
Details