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.
San Francisco State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
SF State is a large public university known for undergraduate ethnic studies, cinema, and creative writing. The urban campus borders Lake Merced in southwestern San Francisco.
- SAT Range 930-1130
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $13,168
San Jose State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Jose, CA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Dec 15 application deadline
San Jose State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and business. The urban campus sits in downtown San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1010-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.35
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $13,892
Sonoma State University
- Public 4 Year
- Rohnert Park, CA
-
| 0 reviews
Sonoma State is a public university known for undergraduate wine business and environmental studies. The campus sits in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County wine country.
- SAT Range 950-1150
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $14,614
Adams State University
- Public 4 Year
- Alamosa, CO
-
| 0 reviews
Adams State is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus sits in rural Alamosa in Colorado's San Luis Valley.
- SAT Range 910-1130
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $13,340
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
- Public 4 Year
- Colorado Springs, CO
-
| 0 reviews
UCCS is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The campus faces the Front Range foothills with views of Pikes Peak.
- SAT Range 1010-1220
- Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $16,942
Fort Lewis College
- Public 4 Year
- Durango, CO
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Fort Lewis is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate adventure education, environmental studies, and Native American studies. The mountain campus is in Durango near the San Juan Mountains.
- SAT Range 1010-1210
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $17,114
Colorado Mesa University
- Public 4 Year
- Grand Junction, CO
-
| 0 reviews
Colorado Mesa is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and outdoor recreation. The Grand Junction campus sits on Colorado's Western Slope near the Colorado National Monument.
- SAT Range 930-1160
- Avg GPA 3.28
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $15,590
Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Public 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
MSU Denver is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, aviation, and business. Most students commute to the shared Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.
- SAT Range 880-1130
- Avg GPA 3.03
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $14,584
University of Northern Colorado
- Public 4 Year
- Greeley, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Northern Colorado is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and performing arts. The campus is located in Greeley in northern Colorado.
- SAT Range 950-1190
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $19,376
Colorado State University Pueblo
- Public 4 Year
- Pueblo, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
CSU Pueblo is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and exercise science. Most students study on a campus in the southern Colorado city of Pueblo.
- SAT Range 870-1100
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $13,079
Western Colorado University
- Public 4 Year
- Gunnison, CO
-
| 0 reviews
Western Colorado is a small public university known for undergraduate outdoor recreation, environmental studies, and exercise science. Gunnison is a high-elevation mountain town in the Colorado Rockies.
- SAT Range 1163-1353
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $17,711
Chaminade University of Honolulu
- Private 4 Year
- Honolulu, HI
-
| 0 reviews
Chaminade is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, criminal justice, and forensic sciences. The urban Honolulu campus follows a Marianist tradition in a residential neighborhood setting.
- SAT Range 970-1250
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $28,261
Hawaii Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Honolulu, HI
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 6 application deadline
Hawaii Pacific is a private university known for undergraduate marine science, nursing, and international business. The urban campus sits in downtown Honolulu near the waterfront.
- SAT Range 998-1200
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $30,950
Boise State University
- Public 4 Year
- Boise, ID
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Boise State is a large public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and nursing. The urban campus borders the Boise River in Idaho's capital city.
- SAT Range 1030-1210
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $21,583
University of Idaho
- Public 4 Year
- Moscow, ID
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Idaho is a public university known for undergraduate agriculture, natural resources, and engineering. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Moscow in northern Idaho.
- SAT Range 990-1230
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $15,111
Lewis Clark State College
- Public 4 Year
- Lewiston, ID
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 8 application deadline
Lewis-Clark State is a small public college known for undergraduate nursing, teacher education, and business. The campus is in Lewiston at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers.
- SAT Range 850-1110
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $15,917
Northwest Nazarene University
- Private 4 Year
- Nampa, ID
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Northwest Nazarene is a private Christian university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and theology. The suburban campus is in Nampa, in Idaho's Treasure Valley near Boise.
- SAT Range 1005-1240
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $30,178
Brigham Young University Idaho
- Private 4 Year
- Rexburg, ID
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
BYU-Idaho is a private university affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The campus is in Rexburg, a small college town in eastern Idaho.
- SAT Range 970-1200
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.34
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $8,528