Best Value Western Colleges
There are 127 colleges in the West ranked by value using the same methodology as our national list. Rankings balance academic quality with the net price students typically pay.
California Institute of Technology leads West value rankings for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $14,513. The top value public university is University of Washington Seattle Campus. Also high value: Pomona College, Stanford University and University of California Los Angeles.
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.
Seattle University
- Private 4 Year
- Seattle, WA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Seattle University is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing and business. The urban campus sits on First Hill near downtown Seattle.
- SAT Range 1200-1430
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $36,948
University of Wyoming
- Public 4 Year
- Laramie, WY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 10 application deadline
Wyoming is a public university known for undergraduate geology, petroleum engineering, and agriculture. The campus sits in the college town of Laramie near the Medicine Bow Mountains.
- SAT Range 1040-1240
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $14,872
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
- Public 4 Year
- San Luis Obispo, CA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
Cal Poly is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and agriculture. Students study on a Central Coast campus in the college town of San Luis Obispo.
- SAT Range 1220-1410
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 31%
- Net Price $17,453
California State University Long Beach
- Public 4 Year
- Long Beach, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
Cal State Long Beach is a large public university known for undergraduate art and design, nursing, and business. The campus sits near the Pacific coast in the Los Angeles metro area.
- SAT Range 1020-1240
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $10,607
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
3.0 | 5 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
CU Denver is a public university known for undergraduate architecture, business, and engineering. The urban campuses include downtown Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
- SAT Range 980-1220
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $14,831
California Lutheran University
- Private 4 Year
- Thousand Oaks, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Cal Lutheran is a private university known for undergraduate business, psychology, and communication. The suburban campus in Thousand Oaks is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- SAT Range 1150-1330
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $32,774
Mount Saint Mary's University
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
| 0 reviews
Mount Saint Mary's is a private Catholic women's university known for undergraduate nursing and the health sciences. The hillside Chalon campus overlooks Los Angeles from the Brentwood area.
- SAT Range 900-1110
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $27,368
Saint Mary's College of California
- Private 4 Year
- Moraga, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and a Great Books liberal arts program. The residential campus lies in the hills of Moraga in the East Bay.
- SAT Range 1070-1253
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $35,332
University of Denver
- Private 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
University of Denver is a private university known for undergraduate international studies and business. The campus sits in a residential Denver neighborhood near the Rocky Mountains.
- SAT Range 1240-1410
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $45,451
Carroll College
- Private 4 Year
- Helena, MT
-
2.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 28 application deadline
Carroll is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and pre-medicine. The campus sits in Montana's capital city of Helena near the Rocky Mountain foothills.
- SAT Range 1050-1300
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $25,575
Lewis & Clark College
- Private 4 Year
- Portland, OR
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Lewis & Clark is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international affairs and environmental studies. The wooded campus sits in the hills of southwest Portland.
- SAT Range 1210-1390
- Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $37,999
Occidental College
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Jan 10 application deadline
Occidental is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate politics, international relations, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in Los Angeles's Eagle Rock neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1380-1520
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $48,400
Utah State University
- Public 4 Year
- Logan, UT
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Utah State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, natural resources, and engineering. Logan is a college town in northern Utah's Cache Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $15,788
Chapman University
- Private 4 Year
- Orange, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Chapman is a private university known for undergraduate film, media arts, and performing arts. The suburban campus is in the city of Orange in Southern California's Orange County.
- SAT Range 1260-1440
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $47,902
University of San Francisco
- Private 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
USF is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and international studies. The urban campus sits beside Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
- SAT Range 1190-1390
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $45,443
Gonzaga University
- Private 4 Year
- Spokane, WA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Gonzaga is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The campus runs along the Spokane River in eastern Washington.
- SAT Range 1190-1380
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $40,117
Washington State University
- Public 4 Year
- Pullman, WA
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Jan 31 application deadline
WSU is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and communications. Pullman is a classic college town set in the Palouse region of eastern Washington.
- SAT Range 1020-1210
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $18,171
San Diego State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
SDSU is a large public university known for undergraduate international business, hospitality management, and communications. The urban campus sits in San Diego's College Area with Spanish Colonial Revival buildings.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 36%
- Net Price $14,704