Best Value Colleges & Universities in America by Academic Quality per Dollar

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar

These colleges are CollegeCalc's 2022 ranking of the best value colleges in America based on academic value per tuition dollar. While many of these schools don't have low list prices, attractive net prices through generous financial aid combined with academic excellence offer students great returns on investment. In order to be considered, schools must possess high academic standing coupled with costs commensurate to the education provided. Yale University leads the list with a 98/100 academic rating and a $17,511 average net price.

Academic Rating is a CollegeCalc rating of a college's overall academics and effectiveness. The score ranges from zero to one hundred, with fifty being the median for all eligible colleges. Dollar value is a measure of a school's academic rating compared with the average price paid by students. Colleges which are ranked "n/a" didn't report sufficient data to formulate a score. Learn more about our rating methodology.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2021/2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.

America's Best Value Colleges by Academic Quality per Dollar
College	Net Price	Rating	Value
#1 Yale University Connecticut, Private	$17,511	98	99
#2 Harvard University Massachusetts, Private	$18,037	98	100
#3 Princeton University New Jersey, Private	$18,685	99	99
#4 Amherst College Massachusetts, Private	$18,832	96	99
#5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts, Private	$19,998	98	99
#6 Stanford University California, Private	$20,023	99	99
#7 Rice University Texas, Private	$19,215	98	99
#8 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, Private	$22,126	95	99
#9 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina, Public	$10,038	84	99
#10 Claremont McKenna College California, Private	$22,004	96	99
#11 Colby College Maine, Private	$18,552	91	98
#12 Wellesley College Massachusetts, Private	$21,614	95	98
#13 Dartmouth College New Hampshire, Private	$24,525	97	98
#14 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, Private	$24,167	96	98
#15 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania, Private	$20,360	91	98
#16 Johns Hopkins University Maryland, Private	$25,241	97	98
#17 University of Michigan Michigan, Public	$17,832	89	98
#18 Duke University North Carolina, Private	$26,932	98	98
#19 California Institute of Technology California, Private	$26,591	98	97
#20 Wesleyan University Connecticut, Private	$22,845	92	97

U.S. Academic Quality per Dollar Ranking

Best Value Colleges in America by Academic Quality per Dollar